I strongly urge the British people not to have anything to do with GM crops. They are a danger to health. The whole global food shortage is a myth produced to excuse capitalists raising prices. It is fuelled by speculators out to make a fast buck. BTW anything in which Monsanto has had a hand is very suspect - see diet coke sweeteners etc.

OK folks, this is where our politicians are showing their true colours... not to the people of the UK but to corporate interests in the US who are pushing this hard worldwide in every country that has resisted it so far.

These companies are trying to force African nations to agree to "terminator" seeds, seeds that grow once but its seeds from that plant are sterile therefore forcing the farmer to return to the company and buy more seeds.

This gives a lot of power, similar to the power of the petrodollar has given the US government, to these companies, if you examined Henry Kissingers 1970's plans for a "global cull" of the useless eaters and the creation of a "servitor" race, this could be the very instrument of such because the corporations could literally pull the food basket away from a country who has lost the ability to freely grow and replenish seed stocks from normal crops.

Some of these corporations are linked with the destruction of the US honey bee, where hives are collapsing and colonies of bees literally dying out, this is a VERY serious situation to be in as without pollonation, we will see a massive massive shortfall in fruits and plants and our planet will move into a very dangerous phase.

Luckily for us this isn't prevalent over here yet but I can assure you that the Ministers involved are NOT working for the good of mankind they are working for the good of their own selves, the bulging grubby backhander they received for supporting these initiatives, this is a serious issue because these companies care little of what harm they do and seek only massive profits and power, it matters little to them that by polluting the natural cycle of plant and animal life, it matters little to them that whole countries, even continents could be laid waste because of the breakdown of GM crops.

If you are a farmer, a consumer, someone who cares for their environment then the simple thing, the only thing you can do is fight this, there are little or no safeguards in this area, we know that the British government lied to the people about GM crops and planted them regardless of what was decided by the people.

And consider this... what if it goes wrong?

What you gonna eat then???

One might look at this You Tube video before making any kind of commitment to GM foods.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1669587865067156619&hl=en

As with all issues people should inform themselves and under no account allow themselves to be led by government and corporate explanations and both sources are well practised at lies and deception.

In the West we consumer far too much food and most of it is garbage. We have rampant obesity and diabetes epidemics.

One of the goal of the powers that be is to control the seed market through GM terminator seeds. On this basis alone, never even mind all the unknowns, this food should in my view be totally resisted.

Individually we should continue to grow more of our own food, an encouraging trend that is already in progress, as this give us more control of our destinies. Allow the powers that be to control food production and we are in trouble.

I don't believe it?
A few years ago there were two issues which were clearly rejected by the vast majority of Europeans (if people had the choice would anyone really want these ideas?). Nuclear power and GM crops.
Now both are being pushed again.

Amazingly nuclear power is suddenly back on the table even though it would be rejected by a huge majority in every country. The reason: it is good for the environment! So instead of finding ways (painful for voters of course and bad for winning elections) of reducing our energy consumption we build nuclear power stations.

Now GM crops are being pushed again. This time to save us from starvation! Again, instead of reorganizing the food supply and looking at the root causes of the problem (and maybe changing attitudes and behavior of voters again) we are told that the answer is an untested and dangerous use of GM crops.

The lobbyists for these two industries smell a chance and are going to use it. A shame that we haven't governments and leaders who "do the right thing" and seem to have forgotten basic democratic principles. No government in Europe should be allowed to introduce new atomic power stations and GM crops before it appears in an election manifesto and they have to fight a general election on these two fundamental issues. They might then lose interest in the idea very quickly.

Another slap in the face for "democracy". I wonder how many more it can take?

Money is the bottom line. It is evident from what we know now that GMOs would be a disaster. By the time everyone wakes up it will be too late. It has been proved in other countries (such as Mexico where GM corn is wiping out centuries-old indigenous strains) where GMOs have been a disaster that there is no way to turn the clock back.

Any 'research' has either been skewed or abandoned when found to be showing negative effects and researchers have been hounded out of their jobs for daring to say so.

It really seems to be true that 90% of the poulation is sleep walking.

Here we go again. Politicians servilely paving the way for more uncontrolled corporate madness against the will of their population. It was the same story in France a few months ago. Who's next?
The greed of our shameless politicians knows no limits.
Sickening.
Anyone for a revolution?

Yet the arguments are recycled by politicians to introduce GM into the food chain, but this time folks it is us whom are in the middle of a downturn.

I'm still trying to figure out how the farmers we're supposed to help - the ones in poor, 3rd world countries - are supposed to be able to afford to buy all these plants in the first place. Does anyone really think Monsanto is going to start donating free seed to Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, North Korea...?
Then there will probably be the same problem we see with medical research: lots of money spent on male impotence (i.e. Viagra, etc.), but not much being done about tropical diseases any more, because poor people can't buy that kind of medicine anyway. So GM cash crops, but no "3rd-world" staples?
It's a con, and will cost loads just to subsidise a crop no one wants to buy anyway.

Recent long term American research shows that the productivity and quality of GM seeds are no better and in several cases worse than natural seeds
Why therefore would a British Minister propose using GM seeds which mainly benefit the producer?
Answer the producers of those seeds want him to

Over and over decisions are made which do nothing to help consumers
Lies adn deceit rule

Why can't they just help out farmers with 'normal' food! We do not know the true effects of GM food on people, nor is it probably something that can be studied over a few years.
Are we the guinea pigs of the experiment? Why is this being forced on us. Is this the elites way of committing stealth genecide just like the mercury in vaccines that have increased cancer rates, fluoride in water that destroys brain cells.
It is ironic that they are putting this out as something to save us and yet it will kill us.

Me thinks there is an alternate agenda. Remember the saying MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND! Whoes in the gov has received a big birthday present from some rich guy?

NO! NO! NO!

Farmers beware, it might seem like a way to make a quick buck, but please no matter how much you need the money don't fall for it.

Rather than help this will sound the death Knell of this planet. All these greedy corporations are interested in is money in pocket.

Making seed void after the first planting is not really a good advert for continuing and raising food crops. If this wonderful new Science is meant to feed the starving world why would they do this?

No folks its yet another scam, I would advise anyone that has been won over by the hype and downright lies from Monsanto and other companies like them. To read up about the crops grown in North America the document is Called the Seeds of Doubt the truth about GM in America, it is on the Soil Associations website ww.soilassociation.org/gm and I would advise everyone to read it. It highlights how much difficulty these farmers are having,to the point that farmers who where not trialling these crops own fields were contaminated by the pollen from other farmers crops have been charged with theft and espionage and forced to pay huge amounts of compensation to Monsanto. Does this sound like a sane idea to you?

There are Lies, Damn Lies and outright Lies.

Please do not be wooed by the we want to save the planet C**p.

We must keep fighting for Organic food it is the way to go this WILL feed the planet and there are no catches, seed can be reused and there is no use of fertilisers and weedkillers that bring about the dust bowl effect, stopping fields that have grown one crop of Genetically grown food crops being ever used again.
All the goodness is sucked out of the ground by the crop.

Besides no body actually knows what the side effects of this will have on the human body, well not until it is too late to do anything about it.

We do need a world wide ban on these crops, and find someway to help the people who have lost out to loss of crops and land through it.

It's heartening to see that the appalling facts about GM are widely recognised by Independent readers.

Following on from the 42 days scandal and nuclear power insistence, nver mind the fudging over renewables, this is the nail in the coffin for Labour as far as I am concerned - and I come from a long line of Labour voters. Labour needs a very strong signal that they no longer in any way have the benefit of the doubt. Liberal or Green - especially if the latter take a clearer stance about civil liberties and EU legislation.

Ian Watson

No way am I in favour of corporate-GM 'food', Ian, but in the interests of veracity, it's worth pointing out that
Professor Barney Gordon was less than impressed with The Independent's reporting of his research.

As I cannot post his url in this comment, I suggest putting his name into your search engine - the report appears almost immediately.

To get the flavour of the tactics used by the likes of Monsanto, search for Monsanto Canada Inc. v. Schmeiser.

Unfortunately US agrobusiness is again pushing non-conformist countries (those that will not accept GM foods without question)to knuckle under and give them the profits that they so rightly deserve (in their view). The fact is GM seeds have to be bought every year from the company, as well as the pesticide that the crop is genetically engineered not to be affected by. The article posted in the Indy some time back referenced by a previous writer also contains the fact that GM seeds DID NOT generally outperform conventional crops, but in fact produced 10% LESS than conventional crops. In any case, how much land space do we have in the UK to "feed the world?" One hates to speculate what kind of influence large US corporations have over the considerations of the UK government which moves them to overlook inconvenient facts. In any event, the argument for GM foods is totally specious and should be rejected out of hand.

My understanding is that using GM seeds makes global starvation more, not less, likely. For, as GM seeds "work" only once, it means that there is no natural species mutation which can be a protection against plant disease. However, the plant diseases do continue to mutate. Therefore if, say, everyone is growing a type of wheat from seeds sold to them by Monsanto, and a new wheat disease appears and is spread on the wind across country borders, infecting the entire "monotype", the likely outcome is a lost harvest of unprecedented magnitude.

Never before, in my view, as Britain had a Government so undiscerning, so disastrously susceptible to believing what international megacorp tells it. That's what happens, I guess, when loyal "place-men" are valued above professional expertise and decades of experience.

If you want to know what Monsanto does to peasant farmers who use their GM seeds, Google: monsanto peasant suicide

We need to be very wary of statements that link food prices & food shortages to solutions such as GM crops. GM crops have been shown to introduce new diseases. There was a report in the French newpapers a few months ago that demonstrated a traceable link between GM crops & human disease. Unfortunately I did not keep a copy of the report & cannot recall where I saw it. (This of course will delight the pro-GM propandists).
Our government as with others use the BIG LIE as the basis of their policies & propaganda. Democracy has been all but destroyed by big business & corrupt government & the UK is no different than others.

We don't need GM crops. We need poulation control. The writing is on the wall. The GM crop should we?/shouldn't we question? is just the wrong issue. Focusing on this issue is akin to blindly taking the path of least resistance at the expense of the bigger picture, our own future, and that of many other species.

Shock Therapy in action -- there is an undeniable crisis in food at the moment, so, instead of finding real solutions, the crisis is grasped as an opportunity to thrust GM crops on us to the sole benefit of the wealthy (who won't eat GM crops, you can be sure of that!).

Same goes with nuclear - an obvious environmental crisis looming and, instead of real action, the opportunity is taken to pass billions of public money into corporate accounts in the teeth of public mistrust and scepticism about nuclear power.

We need a revolution to even be heard nowadays.

How about the government/EU stops paying farmers to leave half their fields empty?

I agree with previous comments, GM is a bad idea and I'd rather grow my own than buy that garbage. Apparently a modest sized garden will grow enough to feed a family for a large portion of the year - then we certainly wouldn't starve.

I don't get it; we have variously very intensive farming and lots of dubiously justified set-aside EU subsidised land... the EU makes payments to farms based on land area not productivity and no subsidy is available for orchards - they are not deemed of agricultural value: http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2004/10/30/fallen-fruit/ - so, midst so much set-aside unused land in the UK, there is talk (among the GM investors? Remember cabinet minister Lord Sainsbury and his vested interests?) of the need for GM crops. Hogwash!

If we no longer have a butter mountain, a wheat hill fort, a milk lake, then lets stop paying set-aside subsidy and ensure we sustainably plant all of our agricultural land for the growing of edible crops.
Yes. That's correct - edible, not Biofuel enabled, but crops that we can eat or export according to greatest benefit or need. Let us not subsidise farmers to set land aside to 'rest'(?) with zero production (not even bio fuel) and require ploughing once per year.

The latest story sees major hauliers/food and drink companies sharing transport capacity to save road miles:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/06/18/cnsustain118.xml

You mean lots of those juggernauts were half empty all of these years ... and more recently burning 'biodiesel' which in many cases means food stuffs converted into vehicle fuel, lowering supply of food ... and in spite of all of this we are told that GM foods are necessary?? This is lunacy.
1. remove set aside
2. financially encourage sustainable food production in all forms
3. financially encourage local food production - that is where food is produced close to its eventual markets
4. minimise food and road miles generally - these days this saves biofuel and that saves food production for our stomachs
Can you see any reason to be thinking about GM foods yet? (not that there is yet good evidence of GM holding answers to increased yield combined with safety - just remember the people affected with liver damage caused by early GM soya, or the problems with GM potatoes)
And do you think the Government will promote grow you own in any tangible way? I doubt it too.

When is this government actually going to propose something for the benefit of the people rather than big business? They are just puppets.

The tide comes in twice a day . A 'science' that doesn't work as advertised - Handing control of the world's food supply to 4-5 corporations - What politicians we have - lets hope that they have a hidden agenda

The comments above say it all. GM crops are more expensive, don't provide bigger yields, require more chemical inputs, contaminate other crops and make them worthless. And people don't want them.

We had a national debate on this very issue five years ago, and there was an overwhelmingly negative response. Tellingly, one of the conclusions of the public consultation was that the more people found out about GM crops, the more opposed to them they became.

There are a number of ways that we can address global hunger. But GM crops ain't one of them. For pity's sake, let's stop flogging this dead horse.

More than 40% of the actual world production of cereals is not employed for human consumption. In a world of increasing energy prices, we must rearrange the way we produce food rather than produce more food.
GM crops are not the answer.