What's your take on genetically engineered food.

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Forums > All Posts > What's your take on genetically engineered food.

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2010-03-29 09:19 PM

Zach F
Denton, TX
Posts: 941

Lets get this forum started with some discussion on the topic. What are you feelings on the topic?

2010-03-31 09:03 AM

Schmidt
Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 1058

References: Monsanto: Conversations about plant biotechnology
World health Organization: 20 Questions on GM Foods

Monsanto's website provides the "pros" for GM foods. The Center for Food Safety has a website opposing the use of GM Foods. The WHO website above addresses many of the common questions.

I have read articles on GM foods, both pro and con, and have some concerns about the long term effect on our health by eating GM foods, particularly those from "Round Up Ready" seeds manufactured by Mansanto. But the science is complex and I hesitate to condemn something without deeper understanding.

However, my bigger and more immediate problem is with Monsanto cornering the market on seeds and forcing farmers to use their seeds by intimidating and suing farmers whose crops have been contaminated by adjacent fields. This 2005 report, Mansanto versus Farmers by the Institute of Science in Society in the UK castiagtes Monsanto for their practices.

And then there is this 2008 article in the London Daily Mail, The GM genocide, Thousands of Indian farmers committing suicide after using genetically modified crops.

These are social issues that are hot buttons in Europe and India, but seem to catch the back pages of the US news, if at all. Why is that? I think it is a dialogue worth moving to the front pages of the newspapers in the USA.

2010-04-25 09:31 AM

Schmidt
Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 1058

Reference: Hans Herren and Marcia Ishii-Eitemen, The Hill, Genetically Modified Crops are Not the Answer, April 22, 2010

Further to this discussion, the Senate is currently considering the Global Food Security Act to "streamline the aid process and focus on long-term agricultural development." However, within this proposed bill is a mandate inserted after heavy lobbying by Monsanto that foreign aid dollars be spent developing genetically modified (GM) crops. No other kinds of agricultural technology are mandated in this bill.

As the authors point out, "a recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists demonstrates that GM crops don’t increase crop yields. USAID has already spent millions of taxpayer dollars developing GM crops over the past two decades, without a single success story to show for it, and plenty of failures."

The authors cite the failure of a USAID-Monsanto project to develop a virus resistant sweet potato in Kenya and failed projects in India to develop insect resistant cotton and corn.

"Improved farming practices, conventional breeding and agro-ecological techniques deliver far better results, without the risks and high input costs that accompany GM seeds. A 2008 study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development found that “organic agriculture can be more conducive to food security in Africa than most conventional production systems, and … is more likely to be sustainable in the long term.”

The authors conclude: "If Congress is serious about addressing world hunger, they should take their lead from the most comprehensive science and from farmers on the ground — not from Monsanto lobbyists."

I agree...while we are currently debating the "too big to fail" options for Wall Street banks, little attention has been paid to the "bigness" of companies like Monsanto and their influence on Congress in passing legislation that benefits them more than the farmers around the world.

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