Genetically modified potatoes - members' poll

[alan refail]

Before answering please read the discussion in this thread
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8457
The current trials involve the introduction of genes only from other species of potato which show blight resistance in the wild.

[alan refail]

bumped to get a few more votes

[Primrose]

I voted for a Don't Know because in the past I've been instinctively against "fiddling with nature". However, against this we have to remember the terrible problems caused by the Irish potato famine and the fact that we have a growing world population to feed with less and less land becoming available to do it.
I suppose if I'm prepared to swallow my organic principles to spray my tomatoes against blight, I ought to be able to accept genetically modified potatoes, but for some reason, I psychologically still find it difficult to take that next step.

[Shallot Man]

Primrose. You have hit the nail on the head, my sentiments entirely.

[Johnboy]

Hi Primrose and Shallot Man,
Do you think that if the facts about different forms of GM had been explained to you a few years back when all the ho-ha was going on in the media that your opinion today mighty be somehow different?
The fact that the British Nation was bamboozled by those who very quickly realised that there was a threat to their method of growing and who have fought tooth and nail to prevent the advancement of science.
They will ultimately will pay the penalty.
JB.

[Primrose]

JB - you may well have a point. We cannot halt the advancement of science for ever, and many of us have cause to be grateful for the arrival of penicillin and other medications, which I suppose are another form of genetic modification. Perhaps if I live to be 100, genetically modified potatoes and other disease resistance are then the norm and nobody has grown a second head or deformed limbs as a result of eating them we may look back and wonder what all the fuss was about.

[Johnboy]

Hi Primrose,
Strangely I have just heard on Radio 4 that the world area of GM crops is 125,000,000. Hectares this year which is about one seventh of the worlds growing surface.
Why is it that a country the size of us is not exploring every possible way of reducing imports and growing as much as we can at home.
About £60,000,000. is spent annually on anti-blight sprays and if this could be severely reduced it would keep the price of food down.
Somehow we seem to get things wrong here because Organic Produce is kept artificially high to counteract the swingeing cost of accreditation and where does the money go. No prizes for guessing!
JB.

[Elderflower]

Where does it go, Johnboy?
Sorry to be dim.

[alan refail]

Where does it go, Johnboy?
Sorry to be dim.

I think he means HERE

[Johnboy]

Well who does the accreditations? Not only the SA but the other organic accreditors.
*In addition to this the government money given to those to go into intervention mainly ends up in the coffers of the accreditors. This has added up to many millions of pounds. My thought that if somebody wants to go organic they should not be allowed government money.
This should never be allowed to happen again and this will be quite a saving to the general taxpayer.
JB.

[Chantal]

Hi Alan

I've changed this topic to a sticky for you for a while.

[alan refail]

Hi Alan

I've changed this topic to a sticky for you for a while.

Thanks, Chantal

[Mike Vogel]

I think Alan's point is crucial. Man has been practising GM for millennia by selection and cross-breeding. The great moral objection to GM lies in the possibility of taking genes from unrelated species which would normally be unable to cross-fertilise. E.g inserting cactus genetic material into wheat seeds to make the wheat growable in dry conditions. Sounds good to me. The crunch comes when the genetic material is taken from an animal. One then has to ask what one is eating.

I am always irritated by the implication that GM is not organic. What IS the stuff, after all? Surely not IN-organic? Unless the genetic chemical is synthesised, of course, but does this ever happen? What appals me is the MISUSE of GM; the idea for some is to cultivate a strain which resists weedkiller and then spray the whole area with 5 times as much weedkiller. But this isn't what is envisaged here.

[glallotments]

Doesn't science get involved already when people create new varieities of plants by crossing different varieties etc. Isn't that manipulating genes in some sort of way. For instance some varieties of vegetables are already 'created' in this way to increase yield.

I'm anti any manipulation that would destroy the balance of nature - for instance developing pollen free varieties of plants that deprive the bees of food but we can freely buy pollen free flowers just so we can cut them for our houses without them dropping pollen. No-one seems to complain about this.

[Nature's Babe]

With you on this Gallotments. In India they tried a lot of genetically modified crops, many farmers ended up broke and owing Monsanto, who are in business to make a profit ; a lot of farmers committed suicide. Now surviving farmers are following Fukoakas methods. A lot can be done with natural selection and varieties with the cold gene already exist in the cold places. Messing around with the genetics can also alter the nutritional content.
Nature sometimes crosses things I grew some green, giant sugarsnap peas and there were two vines of purple podded sugarsnaps, I saved the seed and had mostly purple podded this year with just a few green podded, this way I might end up wioth a purple variety if I keep selecting the purple.