[Marcarc]

Good post, unfortunately, here's an example of industry replacing government. To believe our government we'd essentially have to believe that european opposition to GMO's is completely political, which I don't, while believing that our government is actually 'looking out for us', which I don't. <br /> <br /> However, PEI's most exported crop, potatoes, are increasingly GMO free because McCain demanded it several years back when this became an issue. Of course farmers were ticked, because they had to take the hit for all the costs, but McCain is such a big customer they had little choice. Cavendish Farms, ironically not a farm but Irving's processing and distribution company, shortly followed suit.<br /> <br /> So in the end it will come down to business interests, even the government states flatly that the final decision will be based on whats best for 'the market'. Most of PEI's product is exported to the states where they don't really care.

[Milton]

Corporate fascists are calling the shots. There are those in the USA who do care, just like those here who do care, but they have elected government members who have been corrupted, just like our government members.<br /> In Brewster Keen's book "Land to mouth", he shows McCain for what he is.<br /> There is plenty of evidence to show that GMO's are not as nutritious or as hardy as our ancestral crops. GMO's require (and there are statistics that show this), more pesticides, herbicides, fungicides than our ancestral crops. GMO's also require massive amounts of governmental coercion to ensure that these crops are placed in the human food chain despite the majority of us, who are forced to eat this unlabeled, untested, shoddily researched material, being opposed to it.

[Marcarc]

For 'factory farming' the above is not true, there are clear statistics that GMO's do reduce pesticides considerably. Roundup ready Canola required only the use of roundup, while older varieties required a conconction of various pesticides. I'm not fan of GMO's, just don't think we should be shouting things that aren't true or else we'll just be marginalized. (moreso)

[Milton]

I can't agree with you at all. Round-up ready canola has problems that you haven't mentioned. Do some in depth research. Also, even if one example of a genetically modified crop that didn't require more pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers, etc could be found, that wouldn't mean that the majority of these mutant crops required less inputs, were as nutritious and as safe as our traditional crop varieties. When companies like Monsanto hide their research studies, refuse to release them for peer review and cite competition and copyright concerns as justification and when governments allow them to get away with this obfuscatory shoddy practice and fire their inspectors and scientists who question the safety and reliability of what little data is provided then the only prudent action I can see for us to take is to disqualify the whole GMO industry totally.

[Marcarc]

Reread my post and don't read into it more than was said. Roundup ready canola uses FAR fewer pesticides than regular canola. My wife worked as an agricultural scientist for three years and we did considerable research on it. If you don't believe it, simply go ask a farmer, they will tell you that it uses far fewer pesticides. <br /> <br /> That doesn't mean there isn't any dangers, and all the other issues mentioned, I wasn't referring to those-just what i said.