Government wants GM crops debate

[Steve Gardner]

One of the problems with believing governments are generally as corrupt as you can get is that you 'see' potential conspiracy and corruption in every announcement.

Take the following plan to explore the possibility of using GM crops to alleviate the world's food shortages and mitigate against rising prices. Not so very long ago, there was a great deal of resistence to all things GM. Corporates were naturally pushing for it but almost everyone else believed there were considerable dangers, not least the problem that if health concerns associated with GM consumtion were ever to arise, much of the food chain would already have been contaminated and it would have been irreversible.

What better way to force a GM agenda then than to develop policies designed to push the price of food up, including but not limited to drafting proposals to introduce a mandatory biofuel component to all fuel dispensed at petrol station pumps, and then offer GM as a solution rather than a potential problem?

Maybe it's a bit far-fetched, but I wouldn't rule it out.

Source and full article: BBC

The government is ready to argue for a greater role for genetically-modified (GM) crops, says Environment Minister Phil Woolas.

He wants a debate on the benefits, amid rising food prices, of GM crops possibly offering greater yields, particularly in the developing world.

The government's position could alarm campaigners who have expressed fears about the crops' safety in the past.

Gordon Brown is expected to argue for cuts in the cost of some GM products.

The prime minister is expected to argue in favour of cost cuts for GM products used in animal feed at the EU summit in Brussels later.

He is also expected to urge fellow leaders to look again at GM as a way of reducing the cost of food for the world's poorest countries.

[teddy]

I knew this was coming. I've been following the food crisis for a while. I followed closely the recent High Level Conference on Soaring Food Prices at the Food & Agriculture Organization in Rome and it was all clear to me that the soaring food prices were intentional. Before the conference there were already some bloggers predicting that GM crops would be one of the solutions, and here we have it. At the High Level Conference, the US were pushing GM crops and Free Trade - the latter is what allows food prices to rise worldwide in the first place. The Danish speaker mentioned that the Club of Rome had predicted this several years ago, and that we should have followed their advice. The result was the pledging of billions of dollars from donor countries which will be used to buy fertiliser and seed. Well, there you have it. This has the fingerprints of the elite all over it.

[Steve Gardner]

Here's a question for you:

You farm a parcel of land that sits adjacent to land used by Monsanto to produce genetically modified crops. You find that your crops have been contaminated by Monsanto's seeds and that your harvest now contains genetically modified produce.

Who owns the genetically modified portion of your harvest?

That's right: Monsanto.

And further, without ever having to demonstrate how their seed gets on to a field, Monsanto can file for infringement of copyright. At least, that was the position until a Canadian farmer named Percy Schmeiser fought back.

Threatened with a $400,000 lawsuit, Schmeiser has spent the past 9 years challenging rulings in Monsanto's favour until finally, on 8th May 2008, he won.

You can read a little about his story at www.percyschmeiser.com.

What's truly terrifying about this is that if companies are ever allowed to genetically modify humans, who will 'own' them?