greenpeace destroys GM wheat trial

[qualia]

Greenpeace activists, including one mother who wants to protect her family, have stopped a GM wheat experiment outside Canberra this morning.

Three women used whipper snippers to remove a controversial genetically modified (GM) wheat crop before day break.

The activists constructed a decontamination area to safely dispose of the untested and potentially unstable GM organisms.

Safety in question

The activity follows the revelation that Australia’s peak scientific body, CSIRO, is conducting the world’s first human feeding trials of GM wheat, without adequate safety testing.

“This GM wheat should never have left the lab,” said activist and mother, Heather McCabe. “I'm sick of being treated like a dumb Mum who doesn’t understand the science. As far as I’m concerned, my family's health is just too important. GM wheat is not safe, and if the government can't protect the safety of my family, then I will.”

CSIRO’s wheat experiment came under recent scrutiny when eight international scientists and doctors questioned the ethics and scientific rigour behind it. In an open letter the scientists questioned the safety of human feeding trials planned for later this year in which Australians would be fed GM wheat from the Canberra based trials.

Conflict of interest

On 30 June, CSIRO rejected a Freedom of Information request by Greenpeace which requested further information to ensure the safety of the human feeding trials, along with transparent information about the commercial partnerships CSIRO has with foreign biotech companies to commercialise GM wheat.

In a July report – Australia’s Wheat Scandal Greenpeace detailed a major conflict of interest at CSIRO. Two directors of the biotech giant Nufarm – the distributor of Monsanto’s products in Australia – also sat on the CSIRO board at the time of the wheat experiment’s approval. View the infographic detailing the connections

GM wheat has already been rejected in Canada, North America, Russia and the EU. The CSIRO is being used as a front for foreign biotech companies; this has compromised its research and put Australia’s multi-billion dollar wheat industry at risk.

Inevitable contamination

All of the evidence shows that GM can’t be contained in the field. Greenpeace has taken action to protect our food supply being contaminated by experimental GM wheat. Now the Australian Government must step in and protect the health of Australian people.

“We had no choice but to take action to bring an end to this experiment,” said Greenpeace Food campaigner Laura Kelly. “GM has never been proven safe to eat and once released in open experiments, it will contaminate. This is about the protection of our health, the protection of our environment and the protection of our daily bread.”

Trials of potentially unstable GM wheat strains are currently planted in five states and territories across Australia

http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/en/news/food/A-mum-takes-action-against-GM-wheat/

you have to seriously wonder about this government. harping on about the environment wherever they can, and now want to jeopardise Australia's food security by planting monsanto wheat. unbelievable.

[tripsis]

How had this wheat been genetically modified and for what purpose?

It's good that there are people willing to go to such extremes to stall GMO infiltration into our agriculture. I'm disgusted that the CSIRO would allow Nufarm (Monsanto) directors to a part of the CSIRO board that has the power to give approval of GM wheat. I realise they're now a private company, but that goes too far. It's exactly what I would expect from Monsanto though, they will stop at nothing.

[SunChaser]

Synthetic foods and genetically modified crops inevitably need to become the main source of nutrition for all humans, if we ever want to solve the problem of food shortage and the complete destruction of our natural world. 

Animal husbandry is a completely primitive practice and serves only as a novelty in all industrialized countries. It's simply not a sustainable source of nutrition in a society that's expanding at the rate ours is. 

Agriculture is the future, with plants which have actually already been 'genetically modified' by man. I mean hardly any of the plants we use as a staple source of nutrition today actually resemble there wild ancestors. But I do truly believe that in a ever expanding society we need to further refine the ability for our food sources to be grown with minimal impact to the environment.

I've always had this thought that they could try to combine the DNA of a fast growing hardy plant like spinifex with something like the peanut tree, so you end up with something that grows in extreme conditions and produces abundant peanuts which can then be made into a paste and used to solve the food shortage issue in regions like africa. But you know, where would be the money in that?

The problem with GM crops is large corporations have far more incentive to use the technology to increase there own profits, rather than solve world hunger or save the environment, which obviously usually ends up making the most vulnerable people worse off.

Although a lot of people do seem to be a little paranoid when it comes to the safety of the actual consumption of these GM products, imo, of course.

Peace     

[bℓσωηG]

no

[HeroicDose]

Synthetic foods and genetically modified crops inevitably need to become the main source of nutrition for all humans, if we ever want to solve the problem of food shortage and the complete destruction of our natural world.

Animal husbandry is a completely primitive practice and serves only as a novelty in all industrialized countries. It's simply not a sustainable source of nutrition in a society that's expanding at the rate ours is.

Agriculture is the future, with plants which have actually already been 'genetically modified' by man. I mean hardly any of the plants we use as a staple source of nutrition today actually resemble there wild ancestors. But I do truly believe that in a ever expanding society we need to further refine the ability for our food sources to be grown with minimal impact to the environment.

I've always had this thought that they could try to combine the DNA of a fast growing hardy plant like spinifex with something like the peanut tree, so you end up with something that grows in extreme conditions and produces abundant peanuts which can then be made into a paste and used to solve the food shortage issue in regions like africa. But you know, where would be the money in that?

The problem with GM crops is large corporations have far more incentive to use the technology to increase there own profits, rather than solve world hunger or save the environment, which obviously usually ends up making the most vulnerable people worse off.

Although a lot of people do seem to be a little paranoid when it comes to the safety of the actual consumption of these GM products, imo, of course.

Peace

 

I think it's a mistake to be continually chasing more and more and to be using unproven foods. You say that the food we out now barely resembles how it really grows in nature??? Do you realise that cancer rates of all kinds are constantly on the increase, and a large chunk of those cancers are diet related?? I think underestimating the need for natural food that our bodies are designed to consume is very silly, also, just because we commonly eat food now that is removed from its natural state does that mean we should keep pushing and pushing until we no longer have anything that resembles nature? This is the same kind of attitude that will have every cannabis plant replaced with sativex. Maybe if western countries wern't consuming 3 times what they need this whole idea of needing more food would be less of a concern.

Edited July 14, 2011 by HeroicDose

[synchromesh]

No bee killers in my food, please. I did say please...

[cactuscarl]

How do ppl know that SOME gm food isn't actually better for us if gm plants are bred to be healthier and stronger then they could have more nutrition

I know some gm food is bred to be pesticide/herbicide resistant which would not be healthier but if they were bred to have more nutrition they could be very beneficial

I'm not saying Monsanto is doing the right thing just that gm food has the potential to help a lot of ppl if used right and not just for profits

[tripsis]

The concern with GMOs isn't limited to human health. We know nothing about how they will interact with natural ecosystems, whether they will become rampant weeds that will outcompete natural organisms or whether they will cross-breed with natural organisms thus contaminating the gene pool of those organisms. We have to remember that what we do with genetic modification has the potential to last for millions of years or more.

Edit: typo

Edited July 15, 2011 by tripsis

[cactuscarl]

True some crops are modified to produce non viable seed so and if crossed with natural crops they won't produce seed either.

I'm just amused that to some ppl gm means evil and toxic food even though if used properly it has the potential produce healthier and more viable food.

[Halcyon Daze]

How do ppl know that SOME gm food isn't actually better for us if gm plants are bred to be healthier and stronger then they could have more nutrition

I know some gm food is bred to be pesticide/herbicide resistant which would not be healthier but if they were bred to have more nutrition they could be very beneficial

I'm not saying Monsanto is doing the right thing just that gm food has the potential to help a lot of ppl if used right and not just for profits

 

Wow, do you actually believe GM foods can be better for your health? What about CSIRO's pea that caused cancer in rats and reduced productivity in pigs?

http://www.lifescientist.com.au/article/144463/csiro_abandons_gm_pea_project_/

GM foods can be patented and therefore our food supplies can be controlled and profited from in a way never before seen by humanity. Who's behind this not so secret conspiracy? Huge multi-nationals who don't give a stuff about your health.

[naja naja]

I think this sets a precedent for wat any person in Australia should do to any GM crop given the opportunity. If u r able, slash and burn!

[Slybacon]

I heard about this GM wheat a few years ago. Sanitarium has been a major funder for this research. Apparantly human digestive system is not set up for wheat, so they want to modify it to produce an enzyme that aids in digestion.

[tripsis]

Sanitarium has been a major funder for this research.

Can you give any links to that?

[toasty]

Synthetic foods and genetically modified crops inevitably need to become the main source of nutrition for all humans, if we ever want to solve the problem of food shortage and the complete destruction of our natural world. 

Animal husbandry is a completely primitive practice and serves only as a novelty in all industrialized countries. It's simply not a sustainable source of nutrition in a society that's expanding at the rate ours is. 

Agriculture is the future, with plants which have actually already been 'genetically modified' by man. I mean hardly any of the plants we use as a staple source of nutrition today actually resemble there wild ancestors. But I do truly believe that in a ever expanding society we need to further refine the ability for our food sources to be grown with minimal impact to the environment.

I've always had this thought that they could try to combine the DNA of a fast growing hardy plant like spinifex with something like the peanut tree, so you end up with something that grows in extreme conditions and produces abundant peanuts which can then be made into a paste and used to solve the food shortage issue in regions like africa. But you know, where would be the money in that?

The problem with GM crops is large corporations have far more incentive to use the technology to increase there own profits, rather than solve world hunger or save the environment, which obviously usually ends up making the most vulnerable people worse off.

Although a lot of people do seem to be a little paranoid when it comes to the safety of the actual consumption of these GM products, imo, of course.

Peace     

 

the main problem is that there are too many human beings on the planet

[Mycot]

I think this sets a precedent for wat any person in Australia should do to any GM crop given the opportunity. If u r able, slash and burn!

 

Compleatly agree. These greedy multinationals seem completely determined to destroy our food security and health.

Soon we won't be comfortable eating anything without worrying that it is having deleterious effects upon our health.

GM in Australia

[Mycot]

There is no shortage of food. According to a world body we produce one and a half times the amount of food to nutritionally feed everyone, so the problem is distribution. Jabezz's whole argument is fallacious.

[mac]

Not much info if its simply been modified to resist more Roundup or something that may be actually useful

[Slybacon]

Can you give any links to that?

 

Can only speculate. A member of my family did some business with someone from Sanitarium and was warned about this new GM wheat. I'm sure if you have time you could dig up some dirt, Sanitarium aren't exactly the most moral company.

[SunChaser]

There is no shortage of food. According to a world body we produce one and a half times the amount of food to nutritionally feed everyone, so the problem is distribution. Jabezz's whole argument is fallacious.

 

Well actually, the only reason farmers produce so much food is because someone buys it. If over half the produce farmers harvested was made to go freely to 3rd world countries, then most farmers would stop producing so much or stop farming all together, then we would all starve.

Also, even if in mathematical terms we currently can produce enough food to feed everyone, it can't last forever! The human race is expanding at an incredible rate and land suitable for farming simply isn't. Then if you put into perspective that global warming is declining suitable farming land even further, it starts to become obvious that unless we find alternative ways to start producing our food a lot of people will needlessly starve in the years to come.

Peace

[Slybacon]

unless we find alternative ways to start producing our food a lot of people will needlessly starve in the years to come.

Peace

 

People are starving right now. I think Trans Human technologies are going to use this to push there funding. We wont have time to debate this before it is apon us, by then it will be post humanism we are discussing.

[tripsis]

Can only speculate. A member of my family did some business with someone from Sanitarium and was warned about this new GM wheat. I'm sure if you have time you could dig up some dirt, Sanitarium aren't exactly the most moral company.

So it's just your speculation, yet you stated it like it was fact. Sanitarium, for what it's worth, makes a point of not using GMOs in their products. I'm doubtful they would be a major funder of this research, as it would mean a switch from non-GM to GM.

What makes you say they're not a moral company?

[synchromesh]

 

Most of it is to do with control, money and the God Complex. Just like everything else in polytiks I guess.

[Slybacon]

So it's just your speculation, yet you stated it like it was fact. Sanitarium, for what it's worth, makes a point of not using GMOs in their products. I'm doubtful they would be a major funder of this research, as it would mean a switch from non-GM to GM.

What makes you say they're not a moral company?

 

Its not my speculation, its handed down from someone in my family who had direct dealings with an employee, the only speculation is its association with the article presented in this thread. I don't have any factual evidence to provide so you can only take it for whats its worth. An internet forum discussion. As far as the ethical/moral stance of sanitarium.... I'll offer my input on this subject when I get home from work.

[Mycot]

Well actually, the only reason farmers produce so much food is because someone buys it. If over half the produce farmers harvested was made to go freely to 3rd world countries, then most farmers would stop producing so much or stop farming all together, then we would all starve.

Also, even if in mathematical terms we currently can produce enough food to feed everyone, it can't last forever! The human race is expanding at an incredible rate and land suitable for farming simply isn't. Then if you put into perspective that global warming is declining suitable farming land even further, it starts to become obvious that unless we find alternative ways to start producing our food a lot of people will needlessly starve in the years to come.

 

Here's what a CSIRO expert who was sacked had to say about food production.

"Dr Stapper said experience as a farming systems agronomist had taught him that most problems started with the soil, and that was where the solutions were. "GM solutions won't solve our problems," he said."

Also the director of Gene Ethics, Bob Phelps, said. "Stapper was sacked because GM giants like Bayer and Monsanto can't patent know-how on healthier soils."

CSIRO 'dumps' anti-GM expert

Unless we figure out how to live sustainably and in harmony with nature we are fucked no matter what.

Edited July 15, 2011 by Mycot