GM Potatoes - Not in the Top 10

national | environment | opinion/analysis

Saturday January 28, 2006 19:26

by Jack Ryan

jackjack at z6 dot com

A response to 2 newspaper articles about our environment and GM

The Irish Independent published 2 stories this weekend. The first concerning the planned trials for GM Potatoes in Summerhill, Co. Meath. The second, a self-congratulatory piece about how well we're doing in international environmental tables.

Dear Sir

Browsing unison.ie today on January 28th 2006 I felt compelled to point out an anomaly between two articles relating to our environment. The first, a piece documenting Irelands’ advancement up the Green Ladder (Top 10… Ireland climbs up world greenest list) appears contradictory one day after ‘GM Potatoes to be grown here for first time’ (27 Jan). Historically where GM crops have been planted environmental standards fall due to increased use of pesticides, genetic mutations with surrounding organisms, cross-contamination of GM crops with conventional or organic crops and the unpredictable health consequences of GM entering the food chain.

BASF claims that its patented potato, being resistant to blight, will result in a decreased use of pesticides. What chemical company interested in making profits for its shareholders would attempt to introduce such a product? Another pesticides corporation branching into biotechnology, Monsanto, created Roundup Ready Soybeans and Canola GM plants which were engineered to be resistant to their own brand of pesticide, thus encouraging more use of the chemical, not less, with the added negative factor of the pesticide being sprayed directly on the crop. Monsanto’s GM cotton plant devastated India’s cotton economy after promising higher crop yields with fewer applications of chemicals when in fact the exact opposite scenario transpired, with an increase in pesticide use and lower yields, forcing many poor farmers into bankruptcy, often leaving suicide as the most honorable departure from the ensuing debt.

BASF, Monsanto and other Biotechnology corporations often tout GM food as answer to ending world hunger. Now, as in the time of the Irish Famine, mass starvation is caused not by a shortage of food but rather by an inefficient method of distribution that places profits above feeding the hungry. While hundreds of thousands were starving in Ireland in the 1840s and 50s countless tons of grain were exported to Britain and Europe. Similarly, many African nations on the brink of famine today provide European supermarkets with the cheap food we have come to expect. In times past our over-reliance on one particular breed, the Lumper Potato, should have taught us the lesson that increased genetic diversity through organic farming rather than the genetic monoculture offered by GM crops is our best defense against potential Famine.

The potential effects of genetically engineered DNA entering the food supply are highlighted in studies such as those overseen by Dr. Arpad Pusztai at the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen. Pusztai, a formerly pro-GM scientist, was convinced of the dangers of consuming GM foods when lab rats in his clinical trials developed stomach lesions and cancers after eating Genetically Engineered potatoes. The forced inclusion of antibiotics in the genetic structure of these new ‘foods’, and our subsequent resistance to life saving drugs is but one more reason to refrain from allowing GM to enter our diet further.

No corporation should be allowed to patent a life form, least of all that great icon of Irish survival, the humble spud.

save preference

Comments (5 of 5)

GM Media Watch

by freek

Sat Jan 28, 2006 21:53

Ah yah beat me to it, I was going do some GM/Media analysis but I've not quite it figured out

I found 3 recent articles on GM appear in Irish newspapers

In Praise of GM Foods written by ???
21 January 2006 Irish Times
The efforts of organisations such as Greenpeace to block efforts to feed people adequately, by battling biotechnology, are outrageous, scientifically unfounded and should be rejected out of hand by any moral person.
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/magazine/2006/0121/4095460787MG2101PADDY.html

GM Foods 'Could Help Stop World Hunger'
05 January 2006 Irish Independent Aideen Sheehan
GM crops could be developed with added nutrients that would benefit health such as 'golden rice' which is currently being developed with added Vitamin A, as currently a lack of this vitamin caused half a million people to go blind each year.
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1536800&issue_id=13503

Two of which are SO well written articles that Monsanto has put them on their very own press page, well done those "reporters". I can't read those pieces so if any can review then and tell me if there any better then press release repeats.

http://www.monsanto.co.uk/news/ukshowlib.phtml?uid=9821
http://www.monsanto.co.uk/news/ukshowlib.phtml?uid=9745

Third from the Examiner is more about WTO then GM
http://www.irishexaminer.com/pport/web/supplements/farming/Full_Story/did-sglD0aoFYfwMQsg7IQHSmeYhNE.asp

But has makes a interesting point...

"EU farmers already know how powerful the World Trade Organisation is. It was their ruling on complaints by Australia, Brazil and Thailand that ultimately led to last November’s EU sugar industry reform, which is likely to end sugar processing in Ireland - and eventually make GM sugar the only choice for most consumers."
Is there niche market for GM free sugar for farmers in Ireland ? :/

Sugar Beet in Carlow 1997
I looked way backed to when last this issue cropped up and glad to find the ol reliable dual process of both direct and court action was used.

This page has all the GM history in Ireland since 97 http://www.genet-info.org/-Europe/ireland.html

-See reports crop DA from the GELF!
http://web.archive.org/web/20010208094953/www.enviroweb.org/shag/action.html
Although Id love to see some photos from the crop sabotage.

As the GMfree report says there is unlikely to a fresh EIS on this, just advise from from scienctist. Here is the Judicial review from last time which mainly deals with technicalities to do with notification, as the judge sidesteps any enviro/social issues.
http://www.bailii.org/ie/cases/IEHC/1998/148.html

It seems the EPA and biotechs treat it step by step, we're only do it in the lab were only doing it in a green house we 're only testing in field, nobodies eating it were only using it in feed and suddenty its everywhere.

The only enviromental issue the EPA will look at from glancing around is the possibility of pollen spread/contamination of an area beyond the trial field etc. Which I don't know anyone can stop that happening. But MAry Coughlan latest report talks of GM CO-existance if such a thing exists.

Of course the EPA won't look at ownership issues or monopolising terminator seeds and fallaices like 'GM Could Help Stop World Hunger'. Detailed in this report from GM free Ireland.

The GMO invasion of Ireland: biopiracy, plunder and property rights
http://www.gmfreeireland.org/downloads/GMO-invasion-of-Ireland.pdf

The other most detailed article on GM is
Has Ireland Become the Biotech Industry's Latest Stooge? November 20, 2005 Michael O'Callaghan GM free Ireland.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/ireland112105.cfm
Which goes into the government's biotech industry influences.

another too late to add to our list?

Sat Feb 04, 2006 09:05

These are the people who are listed to meet at the EPA GMO and Novel foods committee in the next two weeks?

Dr Padraic Larkin
EPA

Environmental Protection Agency
Dr Brian Leech
Department of Environment & Local Government

Department of Environment & Local Government
Mr Gerry Lohan
Department of Agriculture & Food

Department of Agriculture & Food
Mr Eamon Corcoran
Dept of Health & Children

Department of Health & Children
Dr Tim Roche
Commercialisation Specialist -Biotechnology

Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment
Dr Tom Donnelly
Occupational Health Unit

National Authority for Occupational Health & Safety
Mr Raymond O’Rourke
Food Lawyer

Office of Director of Consumer Affairs
Dr Martha Cahill
Head of International Programmes & NCP for Health

Enterprise Ireland
Dr Pat O’Mahony
FSAI

Food Safety Authority of Ireland
Professor Frank Hallinan
Wyeth BioMedica

Irish Medicines Board
Dr Emma Guiney
Teagasc
Teagasc

Ms Kathryn Marsh
Organic Grower

Organic Trust Ltd.
Compassion in World Farming

Ms Eanna Ni Lamhna
An Taisce

An Taisce,
Irish Doctor’s Environmental Association
GM-free Ireland
Friends of the Earth
Irish Wildlife Trust

Dr Thomas Quigley
Food Safety Promotion Board
Food Safety Promotion Board

To me I can only see two reps versus twelve who won't be pushing for GM.

GM Free updates

by freeek

Sun Feb 05, 2006 07:50

A huge nmber of updates on the issue and media scrutiny here
http://www.gmfreeireland.org/potato/media.php

or watch in amazment as Dr Eddie Walsh of UCC GM lobbyist repeatable claims that GM-crops could solve world hunger
http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0331/primetime.html

thanks for the link

by Marygold

Mon Feb 06, 2006 23:07

Thanks for the link to the judgement.
As I understood from the EPA website, they have already asked for further information in the new case.
I wonder if it would make a difference to the situation as described in the judgement, if one in a submission now would request to be able to see and comment on this further information?
Anyhow, it is interesting, just rather long. Will have to read it more thoroughly

GMO v Organic v Conventional v Novel Contact your supermarkets

Fri Feb 10, 2006 16:52

Is it just my paranoid mind that tells me there few on the committe that will advise against this trial. Siting lack of evidence of dangers. The GM companies always say that one must take hard scientific evidence over those emotional activists, but where or when does ethics and democracy have a say on this trial? (I know the government recently publish a co-existence report)

A quite large survey campaign onGM was conducted by the UK Government and the results were overwhelmingly negative,(http://www.gmnation.org.uk/ut_09/ut_9_6.htm#summary) no debate near this level has happened in Ireland, yet the GM is in our food and will be in our fields in April.

What is the story with Teagasc.
Have trials taken place indoors in labs or in greenhouses on these plants? Is that not a first step?

In this NI article here they say "Many consumers say they would prefer genetically modified crops to the use of chemical sprays in conventional food production."(Not the GM totally reduces spraying) ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/309...7.stm ) but it didn't say whether they give them the option of simply choosing organic over both conventional and GMO??

It makes me wonder what conventional foods are and the way they are farmed? not just the merits of organic V GMO.

There hasn't been alot of media coverage on this trial yet, If BASF don't say anything then things stay quiet nobody to rebut, so contacting supermarkets and publishing what they say may be the only way to get onto the agenda when was the last time GM-Free Ireland or others did a survey of supermarkets?

So contact your supermarkets, BASF will say they want to give you choice and we should act on it but when it slides its way in to dominate foods what choice is there?

Its very hard to find all the specific contacts for them to get detailed answers on these issues. I sent a email to SuperQuinn the other day,

" A couple of questions on your GMO policy. You say that

Because of this we are committed to removing them from our own label brand. We hope that by doing this customers will feel they have the choice and alternatives to GM foods, should they wish to avoid them. http://www.superquinn.ie/multi/default.asp?itemid=150&m...quinn

Have you removed all GMO from your own brand label (up to the 0.9% standard, or to 0%)?
Do you have any food stuff labelled organic which also contains GMO ingredients?
Does you milk come from cows fed on GMO feed?
Do you have any info on your policy towards 'Novel foods' ?"

What are the similar contacts for the other stores?

PS Only other media report afaik

GMO trial at Summerhill must be policed and monitored: IFA

THE chairman of Meath IFA, Eamon Meade, has expressed that hope that the GMO potatoes field trial due to commence in Summerhill next April will be “policed and properly monitored”.

Mr Meade said that, while there was “a certain amount of concern, at the end of the day it is the health of consumers that is affected. I hope they make the choice.”

According to the register of GMO users in Ireland, there have been no previous releases of the same potato plants. It adds that no adverse impacts on the environment or human health have been recorded for other potato lines with this gene in previous field trials in Germany and other EU countries since 2002, or with an introduced Rpi-blb2 gene during 2005 in Sweden.

...repeat of press release...

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GM Potatoes - Not in the Top 10

Comments (5 of 5)