The crux of the issue is that of accountability, risk calculation and the where the burden
of evidence should lie. With DDT and cigarettes, the promoters also denied any negative
results and many deaths occurred as a result, before the record was set straight.
The GMO issue is both more complex and more insidious.
No agreement will be reached as the motivation behind the promoting group is clearly
mercenary, despite the veil of "value added". The only solution will be legislative and
since legislators themselves are generated by (and therefore subject to) marketing
and the public's response, and therefore: Someone's ass WILL have to get kicked,
and the sooner the better.
I will not respond to further comments on this thread (for now).
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
On 12/05/99 at 8:57 AM Jane Sooby wrote:
>Dear Bart,
>
>Your observations are very timely and to the point. Dale used the industry
>arguments that agricultural products may be "improved" by genetic
>manipulation so that fruits may be designed to carry certain medications;
>grains will be designed to have particular nutritional compositions; etc.
>
>Does this approach strike anyone else as back-asswards? Is not the bounty of
>nature enough to suit our needs? Have we not co-evolved with the plants and
>animals that share this planet with us? Even the Avery-esque arguments about
>increasing yields with intensive chemical production techniques fail when
>you consider that hunger is such a political phenomenon, a result of
>mis-distribution rather than low production.
>
>The blinders that result in tunnel vision are firmly in place in many
>sectors of society, and agriculture is certainly no exception. Yes, friends,
>we have a *universe* of alternatives if only we would allow ourselves to see
>them. How about using an ecological approach, working with the cycles of
>nature, the complex dynamics of soil, and the miraculous natural
>capabilities of plants to attempt to improve the nutritional value of our
>food and feed by utilizing what is already there? Sir Albert Howard was
>advocating such a holistic approach 50 years ago or more.
>
>The simple answer is that the profit potential from this approach is very
>limited as it relies not on chemical or biotechnological inputs but on
>intensive system management, therefore industry would not be very interested
>in it.
>
>But what is really important: profit or authentically feeding and nourishing
>the world? Learning how apathetic the majority of American consumers are
>compared to their European counterparts is discouraging. Without external
>pressure from consumers, industry is free to set the terms of discussion and
>sell the illusion that maximizing control of natural processes is equivalent
>to maximizing human benefit. I dispute this equation.
>
>>We are so slow to learn.
><snip>
>>Thirteen years later, Rachel Carson had quite cogently outlined the
>>degree to which Pickett had been correct. Nevertheless, almost 40 years
>>after Carson's work the devastation continues, as we apply (in the USA
>>alone) nearly 500 million kg of active material, over 99% of which
>>misses the target organism, while overall percentage losses of crop to
>>disease, insects, and weeds is actually *higher* that it was in the
>>1930s.
>
>You are right on, Bart. Thanks for sharing the fruits of your knowledge.
>
>Jane Sooby
>
>University of Nebraska-Lincoln alternative crops research technician
>Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society western organizer
>
>High Plains Ag Lab
>3257 Rd. 109
>Sidney, NE 69162
>
>308-254-3918
>308-254-2402 (FAX)
>308-254-0725 (HOME)
>
>
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