Keeping Ireland GM Free

by Eric Blair - Earthlings Mon Jul 28, 2003 15:00

Sinn Fein should be advised that the Government did hold a public consultation on GMOs in 1998. This was an era of GMO direct action including the destruction of crops at Arthurstown and Shanagarry. Did Sinn Fein participate in that consultation process? I'm pretty sure that An Phoblacht covered the issue, perhaps our correspondent can trawl through his stash to find the relevant articles. To refresh, the DELG printed an obscure notice of a public consultation process in a local newspaper in Cork and it was picked up on by someone connected with Genetic Concern. Hundreds of submissions were sent in and the DELG hosted a "showdown" public consultation process in a swanky 4 star in Sutton. Sadhbh O'Neill and Quentin Gargan spoke for those against the planting of GMOs and Patrick O'Reilly of Monsanto was a principal proponent of the move. IN the end, the government brought in a moratorium on planting in Ireland. That is up for review now.
Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't hold another public consultation process, any step to keep Ireland GMO free is a step in the right direction says I. Now defunct Genetic Concern led a fantastic mobilisation of concerned activists way back in 1998 and it is to the credit of those involved that field trials of GMOs were suspended in Ireland.
Just to throw a wee spaniard in the works, surely Sinn Fein must be in favour of GMOs that have a medicinal application rather than an agri-food one?

Yours in organic bliss,
Eric

by Raymond McInerney - ex NLP and Genetic Concern Mon Jul 28, 2003 15:46

"Fianna Fail will not support what amounts to the largest nutritional experiment in human history with the consumer as guinea pig".

by Keith Parkins Mon Jul 28, 2003 18:18 http://www.heureka.clara.net/gaia/genetics.htm

Detailed briefing with loads of links.

Keith

by Robby Tue Jul 29, 2003 14:48

Gibber! Gibber! THey want to keep GM foods out because the genes arent Irish! Snarl! Woof! Gnash!

by Terry Tue Jul 29, 2003 15:26

The introduction of GM crops into Ireland will be a disaster in the long run. It will not only ruin our image as a source of clean and healthy food, but it will actually poison us and our farmland via increased weedkiller and insecticide use.

The vast majority of GM crops created so far, are for the purpose of increasing their tolerance to various weed killers. This can and does mean only one thing -more weed killers are used on these crops, which in turn results in far more residues entering the food chain, -in other words us.

We also know from recent events in Mexico, Canada and elsewhere about GM crops have cross-pollinated with non-GM crops of the same and similar species. The result has been contamination and we can be sure this was intentional because it now allows the GM industry to claim that there are no GM free crops of a particular species, thus in their eyes removing the need to allow the labelling of foods as GM free.

Agriculture has been getting on fine for the past 7,000+ years without GM crops and I don't see any reason to totally disrupt the biological system on Earth because it is good for shareholders. To say that GM technology is just the same as plant breeding is a total misrepresentation of the science. Taking genes from across species and whole taxa, and then introducing them randomly in the genomes, (which is all the technology is capable of at the moment) is a recipe for disaster. The GM industry however prefers to cover up reports of things going wrong, disappointing crop trials, truly independent scientific investigation and any form of dissent.

We must oppose the dictatorship of GM not just on our lives but on behalf of the whole ecosystem.

Interesting and useful link is to the Institute of Science in Society, which take a truly independent view and do not appear to be bought off or staff by GM appointees.
http://www.i-sis.org/

See also The Ecologist for a number of articles on GM issues at:
http://www.theecologist.org/archive_articles.html?category=58
Also see main site at: http://www.theecologist.org

by Terry Wed Jul 30, 2003 12:04

You may recall a number of years back in 1998, when the GM debate really got fired up with the report on TV of studies by Dr. Arpad Pusztai at the Rowett Research Insitute about GM modified potatoes were harmful when fed to rats.

To cut a long story short, he was sacked very soon after and his work was dismissed as shoddy and he too.

It now turns out, according to Dr Pusztai that Monsanto who were terrified by the report (as there had been no real opposition voices raised then and the future was rosy), got onto the Clinton White House who in turn phoned Tony Blair. Blair then phoned not once but twice the head of the Rowett institute to order the sacking of Dr Pusztai.

His research team of PhD students was broken up and his wife who worked there also was later suspended.

It turned out, just like the way the Dr Kelly WMD sexed up dossier case is unfolding, that in fact we was a scientist for over 35 years. Quoting from the article Dr Pusztai was:

"Dr Pusztai was put to work on lectins, plant proteins that were going to
be central in the GM controversy years later. Over the intervening
years, Pusztai became the world's leading expert on plant lectins,
publishing over 270 scientific studies, and three books on the subject.
Two books were co-written with his wife, Susan. Pusztai became one of
the Rowett's most senior and renowned scientists."

See the full story at related link. It also also reproduced elsewhere on the Web and is excerpted from the article titled:

'Don't Worry It Is Safe To Eat - The True Story Of GM Food, BSE, And Foot And Mouth'

by Land of freedom Wed Jul 30, 2003 14:24

.