Wednesday, June 25, 2003

YOU ARE WHAT YOU IS, YOU IS WHAT YOU AM*

* - with apologies to the late, great Frank Zappa

In case you missed it, there's a national debate going on about genetically modified (GM) foods: here. Apparently, the response so far has been poor. So get in there and join the debate.

Meanwhile, anti-GM campaigners have had a pop at Dubya for some ill-judged comments about Europe and the reluctance of some EU members to allow the sale of GM foods. Bush's action, which includes filing a complaint with the World Trade Organisation serves only to further antagonise the anti and sceptical. GM or not aside, the WTO complaint has been made on a technicality. Or perhaps, more accurately, the EU's justification for the de facto ban on GM crops is based on a technicality. The EU claims the ban is on scientific grounds whereas the US (or more accurately Monsanto) argues that the EU has swallowed bad science in making the judgement.

The evidence until now has been pretty conclusive. Consumers in the UK, at the very least, would be reluctant to buy GM foods. Now, of course, Monsanto (which has gone to extraordinary lengths to patent seeds) says that consumers have been hoodwinked by the green lobby and bad science. So, we are to swallow Monsanto's propaganda instead. And, before you say that GM food will feed the starving, think again. There is no evidence to support this. Indeed, one of the worst aspects of the whole GM issue is that Monsanto has specially bred seeds that will not produce new seeds. So, rather than collecting seeds for next year's crop, poor farmers in the Third World are forced to buy new seeds every year, to the benefit of Monstanto shareholders. The only trade issue involved here is the market domination of one seed company. The ethical issues here deserve debate, so get over to GM Nation - that number again is...

Check out this article for more on the genetically modified Shrub. Also, look out for the Fact Box.

Beatniksalad has covered this topic as well, but I can't find the article on his blog. There is, however, another of Ryan's pieces at Politix.

:: Posted by pete @ 16:02