>----- Original Message ----- >From: "steve spence" < >Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2002 19:15 >Subject: Re: [biofuel] $7.5 Million Feedstock Subsidy for SSPC > > > > I have nothing against gm crops, per se, based on my limited knowledge. >What > > irks me is when the "inventors" of such crops go after innocent farmers, > > when the gm stuff starts cross breading in the wild. > > > >I have to admit, this is were I have a problem with granting pantents for >plants / crops. A bee does his job, and a farmer next door winds up in court >for not paying a company for the pantented crops he grows. > >Greg H.
Not to mention all the tough questions related to transgenic maize in Mexico, the crop's center of genetic diversity. Last year, and again last month, the Mexican Environment Ministry confirmed that farmers' maize varieties in at least two states had been contaminated with DNA from genetically modified maize. http://www.etcgroup.org/article.asp?newsid=298 Mexico doesn't even grow GM maize. That's not the farmer next door, it's the country next door. Nothing is more important than preserving the centers of genetic diversity of our major crops. Don't say "gene banks", everyone admits that that's not adequate, including the gene banks. There are also serious outstanding questions concerning the role of Bt (Bt corn) in the soil environment, and of Roundup-Ready soy, which has seen the use of Roundup increasing, not decreasing as promised, while there are also concerns that genetic drift from the soy could give rise to new "superweeds" - and anyway both of these approaches are a sure-fire way of creating resistance. Also Roundup (glyphosate) is now shown to be carcinogenic. Nice. Then there's Pusztai's work with GM potatoes that turned out to be toxic, which got him fired, and so on and so on, with a growing host of scientists and their institutions raising further doubts and questions, many of them having changed sides as their doubts grew. Meanwhile we're supposed to entrust all these rather important issues to the likes of Monsanto, who've just demonstrated yet once again just how well they qualify as a responsible corporate citizen. I should add that I have nothing against genetic engineering, per se, it holds great promise which is beginning to be realised in other areas, but this truly bad science from these corporate thugs could wreck all that and very much besides. Now we're being told that the odious Terminator technology - traitor-tech - which Monsanto has publicly promised NOT to deploy, is the ideal answer to the problem of genetic drift from GM crops. Sheesh. The Precautionary Principle is the only sane approach. Best Keith Addison Journey to Forever Handmade Projects Osaka, Japan http://journeytoforever.org/ ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> FREE COLLEGE MONEY CLICK HERE to search 600,000 scholarships! http://us.click.yahoo.com/iZp8OC/4m7CAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
