It would come as no surprise to my regular readers that I am totally opposed to genetically-modified (GM) foods, and I am horrified that the Australian government let the ban on growing GM crops lapse last year.
I discovered yesterday that the fantastic US documentary The Future of Food, which discusses GM foods (and why the company Monsanto is so bad) has been uploaded in 10 parts to YouTube. Each part is around 10 minutes long and I highly recommend watching it.
Part one is here, you can access the remaining parts via clicking on the link under each video. Be quick - the last time it was uploaded it was taken down again pretty quickly.
Once you've watched the video, go to www.truefood.org.au/ourrighttoknow and sign the petition to ensure GM foods are tightly controlled and all products containing GM foods are labelled in Australia.
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9 comments:
Wow....I had no idea the government had let that lapse! I live in the US now and HATE that I don't know what's in my food. I was really looking forward to getting home to Australia and some sanity. I'll be signing the petition for sure.
It's a shocker isn't it? Even with increasing evidence from Europe that yields are NOT increased and it ends up costing MORE using GM crops, they let it lapse... Sigh. Now that it's out there, the least we can do is to campaign hard to get compulsory labelling laws.
Cheers, Julie
Thanks Julie, I had tried to get onto that petition the other day but couldn't, I'm glad you reminded me. Monsanto is indeed vile.
BTW Have you read Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver - it's brilliant, I'm sure you'd find it very interesting.
Deb
Julie, how can Europe give evidence on the economics of GM crops when they don't allow their farmers to grow them? Its like a bloke giving evidence on the experience of pregnancy.
This article is wrong when it talks about GM crops being planted for the first time in 2008. Australia has been growing GM cotton since 1996... and yes cotton is a food crop - cottonseed oil is present in virtually all vegetable oils.
One could also argue that every other crop is genetically modified in less precise ways.... and yes it can cross species barriers but what do you call mutagenesis?
Hi Deb,
I love Animal Vegetable Miracle -excellent book isn't it? I won't be giving that one away in a hurry LOL.
Anonymous, if you are going to argue with me you could at least do me the courtesy of leaving a name. I learnt long ago not to bother arguing my point of view on Climate Change or Peak Oil or GM foods because the other person isn't interested in what I have to say, invariably they just like to argue. I am a scientist by training and the information I read is via reputable peer-reviewed journals, not media from organisations funded by multinational companies. If you've read the same journals and have concluded that GM foods are perfectly fine then there is nothing I could possibly say to change your mind.
Cheers, Julie
Thanks for this...although I will prepare myself because whenever I see what they are doing to our food I get really angry, particularly GM foods. It really should be back in the spotlight and pressure put on our politicians.
Wow, that was powerful watching! Some incredible points in there. I'm stunned that they patented a gene linked to breast cancer and won't let other researchers access it without paying for the 'privelege'. It really is madness.
And the Terminator gene- plants that won't regenerate. Not to mention the development of seeds that will only germinate if you buy their chemicals as well!
Monsanto incriminate themselves- in their own words, they are in the business of selling as much seed as possible, not in making sure its safe- that's the FDA's job. Meanwhile they infiltrate all levels of the relevant authorities, right up to whichever Administration is at the helm.
By the way, nice answer to Anonymous, Julie.
In answer to Anonymous...
People in Europe have looked at the evidence to date - the lack of any reliable or believable testing, independent studies that have been carried out, and the experiences of farmers in places where GM has been grown, and demanded the precuationary principle, which is what Australia needs to do here.
What's also clear is that coexistence is impossible. I think the Australian Agriculture Minister has already said this.
p.s. Splicing: In genetic engineering, a set of foreign genes is spliced into the middle of the DNA. This isn't natural at all. This splicing can mess up the normal coded instructions in the DNA. And that can go on to mess up how the cell works. No-one can know in advance what might happen and whether it might be hazardous. It is unpredictable. The splice could make the chromosome behave in a quite unexpected way. This doesn't happen in normal breeding because the arrangement of the coded instructions does not change when the chromosomes of parents combine. So when people claim that GE is more or less the same as natural breeding, they are wrong, GE and Traditional Breeding Methods Are Worlds Apart.
For a much better explaination on this see: http://www.psrast.org/mianbrbr.htm#mian
Hi Julie,
I don't think I have left a comment before. I want to say thank you for the links on this post. I have signed the petition.
I have listened to parts 1-3 of The future of Food, but as it is late I will come back to the rest. I have read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver a wonderful book.
Here's to all the Farmers of the world, may they farm in peace!
from Jenny McH
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