The Anti GMO movement, is it the new Kony 2012?

[Thor]

Exactly, this is not a GM issue, but a commercial farming issue.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Glyphosate has nothing to do with disease and/or disease resistance. It's a herbicide.

Sorry the mutation of non Glysopahte resistant weeds into Glysophate resistant weeds is accelerated by the overuse of Glysophate and the lack of proper crop rotation and other farming methods in a similar manner to the way the over prescription of Anti-biotics has led to the acceleration of the mutations of anti-biotic resistant bacteria.

[Thor]

Sorry the mutation of herbicide resistant weeds into herbicdie resistant weeds is accelerated by the overuse of heribicide and the lack of proper crop rotation and other farming methods in a similar manner to the way the over prescription of Anti-biotics has led to the acceleration of the mutations of anti-biotic resistant bacteria.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Hes

Most of the issues people have with GMO's and "inorganic" Farming are issues with Mono-culture Farming. The issues are there regardless.

I'd say that describes the issues some people have with GMO farming. But for most it's romanticization of the natural world, a disgust reflex against any food deemed unnatural, and a distrust of big business. Those advocating for labelling aren't trying to alert consumers to the ethical implications of mono-culture farming - they're trying to make people afraid to eat 'frankenfoods.'

[You Need a Thneed]

I purposefully try to avoid purchasing products labelled as GMO free.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

I purposefully try to avoid purchasing products labelled as GMO free.

I order GMO in bottles so I can sprinkle a little more GMO onto my food.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Thor

Sorry the mutation of herbicide resistant weeds into herbicdie resistant weeds is accelerated by the overuse of heribicide and the lack of proper crop rotation and other farming methods in a similar manner to the way the over prescription of Anti-biotics has led to the acceleration of the mutations of anti-biotic resistant bacteria.

Absolutely and I agree with you and am staunchly pro GMO but it kind misses the point about why Glysophate resistance is a big deal relative to other herbicides.

I think better farming practices need to be conducted and glysophate resistant crops is a good place to start. Its important place to start here because the alternatives to glysophate are much more toxic and the acreage of Corn and Soy that are glysophate resistant is very large.

Loosing Glysophate as a tool would be quite devastating to the farming industry.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Thor

Sorry the mutation of herbicide resistant weeds into herbicdie resistant weeds is accelerated by the overuse of heribicide

What do you mean by this?

[Thor]

I was just pointing out you could replace the word glysophate with other herbicides and the result would be the same, as the issue is use of herbicides in monoculture farming and not with the herbicides themselves.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

I'd say that describes the issues some people have with GMO farming. But for most it's romanticization of the natural world, a disgust reflex against any food deemed unnatural, and a distrust of big business. Those advocating for labelling aren't trying to alert consumers to the ethical implications of mono-culture farming - they're trying to make people afraid to eat 'frankenfoods.'

I agree with that as well. They are are such hypocrites. They have created a Giant food industry built on the distrust in what we eat. They are anti-corporate but support Billion dollar companies like Whole Foods.

The other hypocritical part of it is that they have created a system where we have three options of a nutrient dense food like Broccoli (regular, organic, GMO-free) and a large chunk of the world has no access to any of these.

The rich housewives have the LUXURY to purchase food at rates 50% higher than necessary just to satisfy their sense of eating "natural" and helping to treat their chronic Lyme disease (a disease that only the rich housewives seem to get).

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Thor

I was just pointing out you could replace the word glysophate with other herbicides and the result would be the same, as the issue is use of herbicides in monoculture farming and not with the herbicides themselves.

What is this acceleration of mutations you speak of?

[Thor]

Originally Posted by Bagor

What is this acceleration of mutations you speak of?

I didn't say that?

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Thor

I didn't say that?

the mutation of herbicide resistant weeds into herbicdie resistant weeds is accelerated

What does this mean? The mutation is accelerated? And what mutation? How do you know there was a mutation?

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Hes

The rich housewives have the LUXURY to purchase food at rates 50% higher than necessary just to satisfy their sense of eating "natural" and helping to treat their chronic Lyme disease (a disease that only the rich housewives seem to get).

A couple years ago I listened to a full hour interview on the CBC championing organic foods against the mainstream food industry. There was a lot of handwringing over how few Canadians eat organic food, despite the simple truth that it's superior in every way. At no point in the story was price mentioned. Not once. A listener could be forgiven for coming away with the belief that we could all go organic if only those villainous mass market food companies weren't tricking people into buying their products.

[station]

I also find it interesting that the anti-gmo crowd is generally obsessed with its use in food / agriculture due to "health concerns" but is absolutely unconcerned or unaware of its use in medicine. Insulin, anti-venom, vaccines, and many cancer and other serious desease fighting drugs are created using gmo's. The results and benefits of this use are widespread and undeniable. It makes me think the real issues most have are the ones stated by others in this thread rather than the science and morality of genetic engineering itself and that the fear and anger around it is misplaced.

https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2...ont-want-food/

https://newrepublic.com/article/1356...-might-already

[81MC]

Originally Posted by Hes

The rich housewives have the LUXURY to purchase food at rates 50% higher than necessary just to satisfy their sense of eating "natural" and helping to treat their chronic Lyme disease (a disease that only the rich housewives seem to get).

Sorry, but it's idiotic expressions like this that detail any legitimate discussion on the topic. I'm not rich, nor a housewife. I do not have Lyme disease, either. But I do chose to eat *gasp* 'natural' I know, what a ####ed up way to eat, food grown in a garden by a gardener...the same way my grandmother, grandmothers grandmother, and her grandmother managed to get their food.

Also, I don't drive a $60 000 pickup truck, instead I chose to spend that money supporting the kind of products and businesses I feel are best for myself, the planet and the future generations. They're called priorities; don't generalize an entire population based on your experience at Whole Foods. Most self-respecting anti-Big Corp, anti-GMO, anti-agriCorp types wouldn't shop there anyways .

[Knut]

Originally Posted by 81MC

Sorry, but it's idiotic expressions like this that detail any legitimate discussion on the topic. I'm not rich, nor a housewife. I do not have Lyme disease, either. But I do chose to eat *gasp* 'natural' I know, what a ####ed up way to eat, food grown in a garden by a gardener...the same way my grandmother, grandmothers grandmother, and her grandmother managed to get their food.

Also, I don't drive a $60 000 pickup truck, instead I chose to spend that money supporting the kind of products and businesses I feel are best for myself, the planet and the future generations. They're called priorities; don't generalize an entire population based on your experience at Whole Foods. Most self-respecting anti-Big Corp, anti-GMO, anti-agriCorp types wouldn't shop there anyways .

That is fantastic that you eat "Natural". Maybe you like the taste better. That is a perfectly valid reason do so. How do you define "natural" though ? Is it any product with a label that says so ??

Also. Do you realize that Organic food is worse for the planet than GMO and inorganic farming ?

There is a reason most Natural food stores are situated in high end suburbs with affluent populations. Those are the people that can afford the $7 Cauliflower and the $20 Organic, non GMO pasta sauce.

[indes]

Originally Posted by Hes

I agree with that as well. They are are such hypocrites. They have created a Giant food industry built on the distrust in what we eat. They are anti-corporate but support Billion dollar companies like Whole Foods.

The other hypocritical part of it is that they have created a system where we have three options of a nutrient dense food like Broccoli (regular, organic, GMO-free) and a large chunk of the world has no access to any of these.

The rich housewives have the LUXURY to purchase food at rates 50% higher than necessary just to satisfy their sense of eating "natural" and helping to treat their chronic Lyme disease (a disease that only the rich housewives seem to get).

It's hilarious how many people don't see the insane gouging going on at these places. We were in the Kootenay co op the other day and saw some 'natural' laundry detergent. It's the exact same laundry detergent we buy at Canadian tire, only it was 34$ instead of the 17$ we paid.

[Thor]

Originally Posted by Bagor

What does this mean? The mutation is accelerated? And what mutation? How do you know there was a mutation?

I didn't say that, GGG did.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Bagor

What does this mean? The mutation is accelerated? And what mutation? How do you know there was a mutation?

first mutation is not a big scary word.

We know their are mutations because some weeds are resistant to gysopahte and other weeds are not. Given that the majority are not it makes sense to assume that the glysophate resistance is a mutation of a gene within the weed.
When you spray these weeds with glysophate you kill all the ones without the mutation allowing the ones with the resistant gene to propagate.

So I should have said accelerates the propagation of the plants with glysophate resistant genes but I didn't realize people would be so pendantic.