New GM debate in UK

[charliep]

My frustration. How do you accomplish that? The
current regulatory cost of bringing new technology
forward limits who can play in the new world. Not
ianben topic but I think Australia does a good job of
it. Public private investments where the public side
maintains an equity stake in all commercialization.

To highlight, my discussion is about research and
investment and not GE crops. I think there are many
interesting new plant breeding technologies ahead.
The common theme is who invests and who benefits.
To further, we aren't going back to where we were
before. Technology and knowledge have changed.
We have a 7 bln people world growing to 9 bln over
the next 30 years who have increasing dietary
expectations ranging from simple survival to a
healthy developed world diet.

[oneoff]

Charlie...Its always worth reonsidering whether "Just because something can be done; doesn't automatically mean that it must/should be done"

Especially when there are instances of being able to legally avoid full responsibility for personal or corporate actions....it becomes a case of what may turn out to be simple recklous abandonment.

[charliep]

I am not sure how to respond. In North America, the
GE technology is widely used for corn, soybeans,
canola and cotton. It has been approved in many
markets including Europe for imports. Europe
imports lots of soybeans and meal. They allow low
level presence of corn and canola with GE traits in
other commodities. GE is likely the most examined
and reviewed technology out there. Every country has
a different review process and it has been approved.

For interest sake, why do you take one side of the
debate on GE and yet another on the use of modern
agriculture techniques?

[grassfarmer]

I'm surprised all the "sound science" supporters
haven't jumped on ianbens last post - the bit about
AI use resulting in more BSE susceptible dairy cows.
I assume he means selecting for increased yields not
AI use per se. None the less I'd love to see the science
that shows a correlation between higher yield and this
specific neurological condition.
I guess when you are on the "for" side you get a free
pass on bs.

[charliep]

Perhaps the point was that emphasizing one trait in plant breeding (eg. yields) and ignoring others (disease suseptability) can result in unintended consequences. Perhaps the issue on fusarium is presense of the pathagon and the right climitic conditions.

[ado089]

Grassfarmer, I don't think those were
inclusive comments. I think linking BSE
to anything is a stretch but I'm no
expert on that subject so I use common
sense and good judgment and stay away
from that topic. As for plant breeding
I do firmly believe that seed companies
will do anything to advertise a 2.5%
yield gain, ignoring the overall
agronomic package, since they have a
spray for that.

Secondly Ianben isn't frequently
slandering us for using the latest best
practices based on current scientific
consensus. He also does not accuse us of
colluding with Monsanto to kill children
and destroy the planet.

Oneoff you are right about, just because
something can be done doesn't mean it
should. The debate comes in when you
start asking who gets to decide?
Farmers, consumers, bio tech companies,
lobby groups? To me if a technology is
proven safe the first three should be
able to sort it out on their own.

[charliep]

What needs to happen to prove a technology safe and at what level of risk acceptance? Are there things that are occurring in the approval process starting here at home with CFIA's approach on plant with novel traits that need to be improved? For what is worth, the science and regulatory approval processes in Europe and here are very similar. What makes Europe on genetic engineering is there is a public consultation and political process within member states and among the entire organization. North America to date has not required this.

[charliep]

I know someone will hit me with Triffid flax and the ongoing investigation of the RR wheat in Oregon. Before you get into the tirade, can you start the conversation with whether this is a market access issue (particularly if low level presense) or an actual food safely issue? What risks do these issues present the consumer?

[grassfarmer]

Yup, free pass it is. Convenient.

[charliep]

What gets a free pass?

[TOM4CWB]

Dear Charlie,

I eat 'Rat Poison' every day. I am told it prevents
strokes and is good for me!


This is about a humanistic religion;... shades of truth...
just like the serpent in the garden...

"Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of
the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to
the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of
every tree of the garden’?”

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the
fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the
tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said,
‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you
die.’”

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not
surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of
it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for
food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree
desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and
ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and
they knew that they were naked;..."

THis is all about: what we think... what we believe...
how we choose to live our lives.

Cheers!

[wd9]

Companies lucked out with Clubroot. The
big question is how long before a
mutation renders it all useless.

Its too bad we didn't have to maybe wait
10 years for a clubroot solution. We
would have all been forced to become
much better farmers again.

Maybe we will get that chance soon
enough.

[TOM4CWB]

WD9,

We have a bad one coming in pea... one easy answers
yet on it.

[TOM4CWB]

NO not one... Apple is annoying some days!

Cheers!

[ianben]

Breast cancer has a genetic connection sufficient
to make some women have a double masectomy

I am not suggesting BSE was only down to AI or
that anyone was to blame or even knew, but that
7of the10 most used dairy bulls in the UK
happened to carry the suspect gene for BSE.

It is very hard to get the balance right.

Perhaps we could look at machinery. Less
contentious Ha Ha.

I personally do not think I get the best from the
present system. 3 or 4 multi national
manufacturers making clones only differentiated
by colour. Is a corn harvester the best machine
for malting barley? Why do all tractors look the
same? There have been lots of good ideas which
never seem to make it just though lack of money
and marketing.

Is it possible to have the opportunities for
inovation when market share, brand image rule.