Genetically modified food

She says: Isn't GM some sort of super food?

He says: Genetically modified. We're talking tomatoes with fish genes not carrots with capes. They're weedkiller/insect resistant not bullet proof.

She says: OK. So they won't turn me into Wonder Woman.

He says: Sadly not. And no one's sure how safe they are.

She says: They must have been tested; otherwise they wouldn't be allowed to grow them.

He says: Tested, yes, by the people who make them. It's like McCain telling us that kids should eat more chips. GM involves inserting genes from one species into another: altering genetic codes, creating new proteins. No one knows how this will affect human health. Why risk it?

She says: Because it could end world famine and stop my dad threatening to post Sunday's leftovers to Africa.

He says: Give the old man a break. There's enough food in the world, it just doesn't reach everyone who needs it. GM crops feed pockets not people. In a decade's production almost none have been used to address hunger and poverty. It's not about increasing the global seed supply, it's about controlling it for profit.

She says: The pigs.

He says: Exactly. Most GM crops end up in animal feed to meet the dairy and meat demands of the West.

She says: Well, hopefully farmers and the environment can benefit.

He says: ‘Fraid not. GM crops resist weedkiller and don't like neighbours. Unfortunate for non-resistant plants and the wildlife that depends on them. Healthy soil needs bugs and diversity. And farmers have been sued by Monsanto when their crops are contaminated with GM for "stealing" the company's patents.

She says: You know what? GM crops suck. But at least we've got a choice, right?

He says: There's the rub. Right now we do have a choice - the few GM imports on sale have to be labelled. But if the Government allows GM crops to be grown in this country, what about cross-pollination? The wind doesn't care which way it blows. Anything contaminated up to 0.9 per cent GM won't have to be labelled as GM. They call it co-existence. I call it ‘No way back'.

She says: Not over my GM-free body.

He says: I was just stretching.

Demand GM free food and farming at http://www.stopgmcontamination.org

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