Sunday, September 28, 2008

Repugnant transactions in Australia and England: GM crops

In many parts of the world, barriers have been raised to the sale of Genetically Modified (GM) crops.

In Australia, they were legislated against, and now that legislation looks likely to be repealed.
Science 19 September 2008:Vol. 321. no. 5896, p. 1629 reports:
"Four years ago, the governing Labor Party in Western Australia (WA), the country's breadbasket, banned growing GM crops in the state. But after elections last week, the Liberal and National parties formed a coalition that will oust Labor--and the Liberals have promised to rescind the GM moratorium."

In England, where GM crops aren't forbidden, Prince Charles has headed the opposition:
"The mass development of genetically modified crops risks causing the world's worst environmental disaster, The Prince of Wales has warned...
"The Prince, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Telegraph, also expressed the fear that food would run out because of the damage being wreaked on the earth's soil by scientists' research.
He accused firms of conducting a "gigantic experiment I think with nature and the whole of humanity which has gone seriously wrong".
"Why else are we facing all these challenges, climate change and everything?".
Relying on "gigantic corporations" for food, he said, would result in "absolute disaster".

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