On Feb 26, 2015, at 11:45 AM, kuffelcr...@kuffelcreek.com wrote:
As a nurseryman with a stake in East Africa, I find the discussion
fascinating. Here GMO is being used to slightly modify a cosmetic flaw in
an apple for marketing purposes; where I work with in Uganda, it is being
used to give resistance to plantain bananas to a devistating disease that
is wiping out their food supply, with people starving as a result. The
Arctic Apple folks claim that their product is the most tested apple in
history, and this is why APHIS had to approve it; their conclusion cannot
be affected by public opinion or demand, but on science. What if it indeed
proves in the long run to be safe? (I've seen zero research stating
otherwise). I wish with you guys that the first GMO apple released would
have been something that's actually useful to us, such as reducing the
12-20 sprays necessary to bring an apple to market, but as far as GMO
actions go, this one is pretty benign; switching off a gene already in the
apple and not imported from a moth or potato, for a minor alteraion. But
maybe this was the place they had to start to address a very important
question; is this indeed safe, and should it be used to protect the world's
food supply?
Kevin Hauser
Kuffel Creek Apple Nursery
Riverside, California
Nakifuma, Uganda
On Thu, 26 Feb 2015 15:09:33 +0000, "Shoemaker, William H"
<wshoe...@illinois.edu> wrote:
I like your comment David, and I agree. I don't want to "carry water"
for
them anyway. All of these companies pay big money for the best lawyers
and
lobbyists. They need to help defending their actions. I take the
position
when pressed by folks who are not familiar with genetic engineering that
I'm comfortable with the technique, but that I'm not sure I'm
comfortable
with how its being employed. I'd like to see more caution and more
effort
to give the public real answers to their questions about these products
and
about the way these techniques are used. I think they companies which
employ GMOs don't feel they need to be accountable for the products they
are putting into the marketplace. Every direct-market growers knows that
they face accountability, like it or not, and must reconcile with it in
some way. And while these companies do to, like it or not, I don't think
they are being fair to the consumer in the marketplace by failing to
make
more effort to address their questi
ons about their products. So I tell those folks who ask that I can't
defend the products, not because I think they are unsafe, but because I
don't agree with the way they are being introduced into the market.
Bill
William H. Shoemaker
Retired fruit and vegetable horticulturist
University of Illinois
wshoe...@illinois.edu
________________________________________
From: apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net
[apple-crop-boun...@virtualorchard.net] on behalf of David Doud
[david_d...@me.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2015 8:53 AM
To: Apple-Crop
Subject: [apple-crop] arctic apples
Well, I have been to two social events since the GMO 'Arctic apples'
have
been in the news - and that is what people want to talk to me about -
and
pretty much only that...
How are you all handling this? My personal opinions aside, I don't want
to
'carry water' for these guys - they aren't going to let me grow them
even
if I wanted to and I don't feel inclined to spend my time and
credibility
providing them cover and fighting their marketing struggle for them -
This is going to be a frequently reoccurring issue this season - I've
got
an event to go to this afternoon and I am dreading this aspect of it -
David Doud
grower, IN
below 0*F, way behind on pruning
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