• 02 AUG 17

    GM crop moratorium opposition. The SPIN hots up in Australia

    It seems that no matter how convincing the evidence for harm from GM technology is, the often used tactic in contentions issues is to raise doubts over that science or deny it altogether. Take for example the recent ABC Landline TV program on South Australia’s continuing ban on the growing of genetically modified foods (GM). The program gave voice to the concerns of the state’s grain growers who wanted the state government to end the ban when the state GM moratorium expires in 2019. However, Mr. Weatherall, the state premier wants to maintain the state’s GM-free status, arguing that it is more valuable to the state’s farm economy. On the other hand, Wade Dabinett, chairman of Grain Producers South Australia made the astonishing statement; “The State Government’s role is not to regulate on the safety of GM, it’s to grow the economic pie.” Dr Geoff Fincher, emeritus professor from the University of Adelaide who has been involved in the study of GM crops for over 20 years. said; “When you really look hard at the evidence of any serious dangers or harm associated with the technology, proven with rigorous and rigid experimentation, you don’t find that evidence.” Perhaps they should read the new ‘Monsanto Papers’ before making such ill-founded statements. Read on….

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    • 31 AUG 15

    Growing Doubt: a Scientists’ Experience of GMOs

    From Johnathan Latham:

    Growing Doubt: a Scientists’ Experience of GMOs
    by Jonathan Latham, PhD

    Synopsis: I am a scientist who once made and used GMO crops for research. Twenty years of experience has taught me important lessons about them. One concerns the lack of scientific integrity of GMO risk assessments. Careful study of the documents shows that applicants (mostly companies) are gaming the system in numerous ways; at the same time, government regulators are allowing them to do so. None of this would matter if GMOs were inherently safe, but they are not. They even have dangers that are rarely discussed, even by their critics, but which should be more widely known. These two understandings have led me to conclude that no GMO currently on the market would pass an honest risk assessment, even by the rather low standards that most national regulations and laws require.
    SNIP

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