GM Wheat Crop Vandalised

[Philtaz]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/...-environment-18140957

Is this the action of concerned activists and environmentalists or Luddites?

[FredPuli43]

Luddites. Why this particular crop? Was it wheat?

No maize is grown commercially, in the EU, which is not genetically modified, the same applies to large scale growing elsewhere, it's used in many food products and it's a fair bet that these people eat it every day or most days. No problem there. Maize didn't exist as a wild plant anyway; it's a fine example of early 'genetic engineering' by selective breeding from parent stock from the wild, thousands of years ago. We can produce the same or better results by modern genetic engineering. That we can make livestock and crops better more quickly is hardly an objection. But we give ourselves problems with monoculture however we get the product; we don't plant the same variety, or the same plant, all the time, everywhere, lest it is peculiarly susceptible to some pest or disease which gets established and we lose the lot .

If our predecessors could create a variety which was resistant to a pest or disease, they did, as glance at the vegetable and fruit catalogues for allotment holders and gardeners soon reveals. This or that variety is proclaimed over the years as better at resisting something or other; that even applies to garden flowers, such as clematis and roses. The aphid-resistant rose would be good, except for the ladybirds. Aphid -resistant food crops are an even better idea, however achieved.

[jake-the-peg]

I have issues with the way GM is being used - but this is not the way to address the matter, if you approve of this it's an easy step to "liberating" laboratory animals and that ends up sending broken glass and bombs to scientists.

[wolf63]

It was Aliens - they have got fed up making corn circles.

[Old_Geezer]

vandalised is an emotive word used to sway opinion. If you small a mad killer's gun to prevent them going on a killing spree would it be called vandalism ?

I don't think they have any choice, either the gene modified crop is left in the open environment or it is not, there is no compromise that can be reached. It is pointless complaining or having discussions and letting it happen anyway.

[Old_Geezer]

I write "smash", post, and then see once again some vital word (or words) are mysteriously changed. Clearly the word "small" never passed my keyboard.

[pdq1]

If you are to have a GM trial you don't advertise the location and show news footage of the field they intend to grow it in. But that is exactly what they've done. Freedom of information surely doesn't go that far?