by Ray Burke

Created on: December 01, 2008

The GM debate:

Recently I watched an episode of the science programme Horizon: Jimmy's GM Food Fight, where TV celebrity/rural farmer Jimmy Doherty travelled the world in order to assess the state of GM foods. Jimmy's farm in Suffolk has free range, traditional and rare breeds and he sees himself as working with nature. But he knows that in 50 years time, we will have to double food production in order to survive. As a realist, Jimmy knew that would not be possible through conventional means, and wanted to investigate if GM was safe and what the consequences of biotechnology could be.

Argentina and Soya Beans:

First Doherty went to Argentina where for twelve years over half of its arable land (about the size of Britain) has been turned over to the farming revolution that has come from the GM soya bean. It has been bred to resist weed killer and thus needs less herbicide. But the cost is environmental as huge swathes of forest are cut down to provide more soya bean farms. Soya beans provide vegetable protein and oil for animal feed, without which the industry would collapse. The huge factories provide jobs and an economy for Argentina. As Doherty found out, GM is far from the periphery, it's a global commodity. Ten percent of the world crops are GM. As Doherty realised, GM cannot be brushed aside and it's best to know the facts.

Britain and Europe GM fights:

The attitude of GM in the Americas is in stark contrast to those in Europe. Britain is virtually GM free. To test people attitudes, Doherty cooked some sausages either in GM or non-GM vegetable oil and asked people in a market in Norwich, which they would eat. Overwhelmingly people picked the GM-free vegetable oil cooked sausages with explanations ranging from GM messes with nature, it's Frankenfood', and just having a general prejudice against GM. But when Doherty explained that GM biotechnology could potentially feed more people and be better for the environment using fewer pesticides, a handful of people changed their minds and ate the GM cooked sausages. A little information went a long way and once informed of even basic facts, people began to fear GM less.

The propaganda wars are heating up with one side advocating that GM is safe, nutritious and affordable; against those arguing it's unnecessary and dangerous. Europe remains virtually GM-free due to large-scale protests in the 90s where experimental GM crops were ripped out of the ground, due to fears of contamination of normal crops. This anti-GM feeling

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