In the past weeks lots of support has been pouring in for GM
crops. Many who have been working tirelessly to promote GM crops understand the
contribution of these crops to food security, poverty alleviation, reduction in
environmental footprints, and in mitigating climate change. And for these
people it is often frustrating to see bad press and scaremongering tactics used
to create fear among the public.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Downing Street
joins the chorus of proponents of GM crops saying GM crops should be grown and sold
widely in Britain. A spokesperson has been quoted as saying opposition to GM
crops is “complete nonsense”. I hope this drives some sense into those who
religiously spend their time and resources to do all they can to deprive the
world from benefiting from GM crops.
Next to join this is WWF Vice President, Jason Clay who
backs intensive agriculture and GM crops. Clay understands that the burden on
the environment can be reduced through intensive farming and by adopting GM
crops. He says intensive agriculture is more sustainable than extensive
farming.
And then comes Mark Lynas, a one-time strong opponent of GM
crops who says “What we didn’t realise at the time was that the real
Frankenstein’s monster was not GM technology, but our reaction against it”. In
his lecture at the Oxford Farming Conference, Lynas said the anti-GM
movement has rendered the process of official approval of new crop
technologies too long-winded and prohibitively expensive.
(This is something I never understood – anti-GM activists
complain that the technology is monopolised by the giant companies and then
make it easier for them by prohibiting public sectors from entering by raising
the regulatory costs.)
Anyways, I hope the public and the policymakers and the
politicians will start to realise the science behind GM crops and able to
differentiate science and pseudoscience.
Will Seralini take a cue from Lynas?
By Mahaletchumy Arujanan
