all science shows gmos are safe

[I_made_linda_lovelace_gag]

every study that claims to have found they arent safe has been found to be bullshit. the funny thing is I have yet to meet a person against gmo's who actually reads the studies they support.
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/2986.htm weird that people would jump on a study by seralini and use it without researching it first. he as a research has no credibility
a british guy talking about the paper. british people sound smart

also something I found funny antigmo "studies" never list conflict of interest. while monsanto employees do

[trish]

I agree. I see no a priori reason why a genetically modified food achieved through methods of modern gene splicing should be any more dangerous to consume than food crops developed over time by the older methods of hybridization and artificial selection.

What I do find troubling is the development of crops that don’t produce seeds solely for the purpose of keeping proprietary control of the crop and to milk third world farmers every season for the price of seed. This is clearly unethical; but it is also unwise to encourage people to become dependent on an unreproducible food crop.

Another troubling problem is GMO crops that produce their own nicotinoids to compete with weeds. The front end success of these products encourages market monocultures. Again its not wise to become dependent on just a few kinds of crops. Moreover the nicotinoids are destructive to the insects that pollinate crops and are not healthy for humans either who may encounter them in their water supply, and in fresh water foods.

[trish]

Addendum: my concern is actually directed toward sterile grain crops rather than seedless fruits.

[I_made_linda_lovelace_gag]

I dont think there is any gmo that produces neonicotinoids.

[trish]

I dont think there is any gmo that produces neonicotinoids.

You may be right, however...

http://www.bjornapiaries.com/gmoneonicotinoids.html

From the above link...
"GMO crops are designed to withstand the chemicals used to control both insects and weeds. GMO corn, as well as other crops, can be sprayed with neonicotinoid systemic pesticide and herbicides, allowing all other plants to be killed except the GMO crop being cultivated. Roundup Ready crops is the best known example."

There then remains the problem of nicotinoid runoff into the ground water and polluting our fresh water streams and lakes. There also remains the problem of nicotinoids decimating populations of pollinators. All of this is intimately connected with the use of GMO's

Like I said, there is nothing a priori wrong wth genetically modified food regardless of how it's modified. What is troubling are the destructive business and farming practices currently being encouraged by big GMO corporations.

[I_made_linda_lovelace_gag]

I would like to know what crop/seed they are talking about. I havent found neonicotinoid resistant gmo crops. im pretty sure theres no reason for plants to need to become resistant to neonicotinoids.

the harmful effects of neonicotinoids is an issue that isnt as clear cut as i think you think it is. the research I see on this points to Ambiguity

[trish]

As for the harmful effects of neonicotinoids I think that you think that I think it's more clear cut than you think it is. Notice I'm merely indicated my level of concern was "troubled". You might check out the two articles in Science and the one in Nature referenced in this link -> http://www.nature.com/news/the-buzz-...icides-1.11626

Clearly for neonicotinoids to be effective they must distinguish between the targeted weeds and the crop.

[I_made_linda_lovelace_gag]

its an insecticide not a herbicide
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/2752.htm
whitehorn “However, it is uncertain as to what extent the exposure situation in the study is representative to field conditions since bumblebees would need to forage for two weeks exclusively on imidacloprid-treated crops in order to be exposed to the same extent as in the study” EFSA (2012).

henry “it should be noted that there are several uncertainties regarding these results, therefore, they should be considered with caution. In particular, in the studies from Henry et al and Schneider et al. bees consumed the total amount of active substance within a relatively short period and not administered over a longer period (i.e. a day). Depending on the substance properties and how fast the substance can be metabolised by the bees, this method of exposure could have led to more severe effects than what may occur when bees are foraging.”

these are always the problem with studies showing negative effects they use too much. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21080222

[trish]

these are always the problem with studies showing negative effects they use too much.

Not always. Depends on what the definition of "too much" is. But yes, in the Schneider study the bees consumed the "active substance" at greater rate than they probably would have in the field (depending on the field conditions of course). Nevertheless, there is enough evidence to warrant a concern level of "troubled."

[trish]

I’m probably not the sort of person you were hoping to troll with this thread. I’m not a vegan, nor a foodie. I don’t think irradiated foods or GMO’s are harmful to consume. I love brats, and if you have to torture geese to get foie gras, then so be it. I’ve even been known to practice the five second rule.

I do have a considerable number of friends who are foodies. Some boycott GMOs for health reasons, none of which I find credible. Others boycott GMOs for political reasons. They have my respect, but not my allegiance.

I do think the production of sterile seeds is unconscionable, as is suing farmers because of wildlife/insect assisted gene jumping. I also suspect that the use of insecticides and herbicides is overdone and crops that produce their own insecticides and herbicides aren’t helping. Though none of these issues are particularly innate to modern methods of crop modification, they do seem to plague the GMO industry.

Will I eat GMOs? Yes. Do I? I don’t even know...probably. I’m not about to change my shopping and eating habits in order to boycott Monsanto. Not yet.

(BTW for anyone out there looking for a good read, Orfeo by Richard Powers is a wonderful novel about music and the art of gene splicing).