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Warlord
06-12-2013, 02:44 AM
Exclusive: The agricultural revolution - UK pushes Europe to embrace GM crops

Britain is to push the European Union to relax restrictions on the licensing of genetically modified crops for human consumption amid growing scientific evidence that they are safe, and surveys showing they are supported by farmers. The Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson, is expected to use a speech next week to outline the start of a new government approach to GM to ensure Britain “is not left behind” in agricultural science.

The move comes as 61 per cent of UK farmers now say they would like to grow GM crops after a disastrous 12-month cycle of poor weather that is expected significantly to reduce harvest yields. Senior government officials said that ministers are increasingly concerned that the potential moral and ethical benefits of GM are being ignored by costly and bureaucratic licensing regulations.

With one-twelfth of global arable land under GM cultivation they have privately warned that Britain faces being left behind in an important technology that has the potential to improve crop yields, help the UK’s agricultural industry and provide benefits to human health through vitamin fortification.

Government sources added that GM also had applications beyond food including the potential to combat diseases such as ash dieback and in developing new medicines.

“The point about GM is not simply about food production,” they said. “There are wider potential environmental and economic benefits to the technology both in the UK and internationally.

“What we want to do is start a dialogue within Europe on GM based upon the science.”

Ministers are hopeful of building support in Brussels for a change of heart on GM, with Germany seen as a key swing voter. However, any attempts to relax the rules could face opposition from countries such as Poland which in April became the eighth EU member state to ban the cultivation of GM crops.

Mr Paterson is said to believe that Britain should take the lead in moving the debate on from the knee-jerk reaction against GM for much of the last decade.

The move comes as a poll of over 600 British farmers found a considerable shift in their stance toward GM in the past year, with nearly a third saying they would be more likely to grow GM crops if it were legal now than they were 12 months ago – about half of them a “lot more” so.

On top of the advocated benefits of improving yields and cutting down on costs such as pesticides, the increasingly extreme weather has concentrated farmers’ minds on the need to guard against climate change.

More:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/exclusive-the-agricultural-revolution--uk-pushes-europe-to-embrace-gm-crops-8654595.html

AngryCanadian
06-12-2013, 02:54 AM
The same Britain that pushed Europe to arm the Terrorists in Syria? maybe that William Hague should try on eating the GMO foods first, lets see if the yellow tooth men would like it.

luctor-et-emergo
06-12-2013, 03:25 AM
The move comes as 61 per cent of UK farmers now say they would like to grow GM crops after a disastrous 12-month cycle of poor weather that is expected significantly to reduce harvest yields. Senior government officials said that ministers are increasingly concerned that the potential moral and ethical benefits of GM are being ignored by costly and bureaucratic licensing regulations.

Poor weather affects all crops, GMO crops too, anyone who believes the marketing and doesn't look for hard (3rd party) data is an idiot. These crops don't yield better than other crops.



With one-twelfth of global arable land under GM cultivation they have privately warned that Britain faces being left behind in an important technology that has the potential to improve crop yields, help the UK’s agricultural industry and provide benefits to human health through vitamin fortification.

Sorry excuses for human beings, this sort of nonsense sounds a whole lot more like lemming behavior. Besides, over the last 20 years they have done everything to minimize the amount of vitamins in food. The wording also makes me sick a bit, 'important technology' ? Who said so ? If something makes money ALL farmers will want to do it, it's as simple as that.



“The point about GM is not simply about food production,” they said. “There are wider potential environmental and economic benefits to the technology both in the UK and internationally.

Potential environmental benefits ? Sounds a whole lot like: NONE. They probably mean just economics benefits but add the environmental part to make people think. "See they do care."



“What we want to do is start a dialogue within Europe on GM based upon the science.”

We're already doing that or have done that. GM mostly lost, DEAL with it.



Ministers are hopeful of building support in Brussels for a change of heart on GM, with Germany seen as a key swing voter. However, any attempts to relax the rules could face opposition from countries such as Poland which in April became the eighth EU member state to ban the cultivation of GM crops.

Ministers, seriously ? The people who will get an executive job at one of the firms in their field after they left office ?



The move comes as a poll of over 600 British farmers found a considerable shift in their stance toward GM in the past year, with nearly a third saying they would be more likely to grow GM crops if it were legal now than they were 12 months ago – about half of them a “lot more” so.

Emotional bullying, climate change, bad weather etc. etc. etc.



On top of the advocated benefits of improving yields and cutting down on costs such as pesticides, the increasingly extreme weather has concentrated farmers’ minds on the need to guard against climate change.

Improving yields, Huh ?
Cutting down on pesticide costs, Huh ?
Better suited for extreme weather, I don't think so.

Natural Citizen
06-12-2013, 03:53 AM
Meh. Never mind. Not worth the keystrokes here.

Will just leave a note of reminder that weather derivatives are an element less scrutinized when using the farmer/climate scapegoat. Science is clever. Broad terms of controversy. If people want to "start a dialogue within Europe on GM based upon the science" then we can't try to hide Geo-engineering practices via bleeding heart little articles like this that are disingenuous.

I had mentioned elsewhere that specific attention should be paid to coming foreign media reports. This is why. Predictable. Transparent.

Warlord... start at 2:20.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-18MMIgk51A