Prince Charles, in an interview with the Daily Telegraph yesterday, condemned the practice of using genetically modified crops in food production. (0621718)
FOOD production globally needs GM to keep pace with increasing populations, according to the agriculture and environment adviser for the States.
Andrew Casebow said that, despite environmentalists’ fears about the damage genetically modified crops could do to the planet, he believed it would be necessary in the future.
‘With the huge increase in population over the next 50 years and the demand for higher-quality meat-based diets, it has been argued that we would need twice as much agricultural land, globally, to provide sufficient food for all those people,’ he said.
‘The argument is that we cannot do that fast enough by normal improvements in breeding and there will be a lot of pressure to use genetic modification to breed high-yielding crops.’
Prince Charles has been a long-time critic of GM crops and said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph yesterday that continued use of the technology risked creating the biggest environmental disaster ‘of all time’.
He said GM crops were damaging the Earth’s soil and an experiment that had ‘gone seriously wrong’.
But Mr Casebow said there was enormous potential with genetic modification and not only with regards to food.
‘I can see where Prince Charles is coming from, but I think it will be very difficult for the world to produce sufficient food in the future if some form of GM is not allowed,’ he said.
Mr Casebow added that he did not know of any genetically modified crops being grown in Guernsey.
Annie Sandwith, who owns Guernsey Organic Growers – the only certified organic vegetable box scheme in the island, backed the Prince’s remarks.
‘I think he is absolutely right,’ she said. ‘As an organic grower, I am totally opposed to genetically modified food.’
The Prince, who has an organic farm on his Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire, said multi-national corporations involved in developing GM foods were conducting a ‘gigantic experiment with nature and the whole of humanity’.
I think it is going the wrong way and is totally unnecessary,’ said Ms Sandwith.
Supermarket chain the Channel Islands Cooperative Society does not stock any food produce that has been genetically engineered.
Colin Macleod, retail controller at the Co-op, said it had full traceability of all its products.
‘The National Cooperative Food Buying Group, which we are a member of, has long held the policy of not using genetically modified foods, whether that be the finished product itself or an ingredient that goes into the finished product, such as animal feed or GM wheat that goes into bread,’ he said.
‘The society feels that consumers should have access to high-quality food that is produced and offered in a way they can trust.
Article posted on 14th August, 2008 - 2.29pm
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4 Article Comments
Where is the proof, other than from Monsanto, that they actually increase yield enough to revolutionise crop farming. All we get is vested-interest scientists extolling the values of this resistance or that yield, but we are asked to forget that each seed is programmed not to reproduce, thus forcing the farmers to buy more and more from the monopoly Corps and so holding the world’s population to ransom.
If we stopped eating meat we could feed six to eight times the people we currently do. Always say no to GM, and especially to Monsanto.
It is also proven that GM infection of natural habitat is detrimental, not just the sterilisation, but the fact that the harsh monoculture lessens local biodiversity.
There’s a lot of money to be made from monopolising crops. We already cede to much control of our food production to unscrupulous multinats, Monsanto is one of the worst.
The idea of GM crops is flawed as its going in the wrong direction. Somehow its got in the hands of companies who are only after PROFITS and SALES, they stink!
Don’t know about the UK butI suspect like us, there is plenty of land going to waste that could be used to grow non GM food (maybe organic)
GM has a niche for growing crops in say desert conditions for home country consumption
Not where we live
Food for thought
The ‘green revolution’ of the seventies has already proved that by planting the wrong crops in the wrong areas, using intensive techniques for irrigation and fertilisation/pest control, you end up with ruined land and impoverished farmers who are in lifelong debt to the Corps.
Australia had been using GM in certain areas and now they are suffering from oversalinity caused by using the wrong water ine the wrong place.
No doubt we will need crops that can grow in dryer/saltier/wetter/infertile land, but this should be in the hands of government research and not part of the Big Business Trough that helps no one but directors and shareholders.
listening to the radio…. the population by 2026 will have increased by 1.8 billion people, yet we need 50% more food than today to sustain that population growth.
When are people going to learn/accept that we need to stop raping the Earth for our greed. This is greed of developed countries.
Buy only what you need, do not throw food away.
The volumes of waste is scarey, so why wont people face tackling this rather than perpetuating the problem. Why because that wont make the richer richer!
GM will back fire, you can’t dink with nature and expect to get away with it. Whilst to some extent I support modifications where it helps crops in famished areas, I do not support GM for the sake of fat belly growth. They are talking about growing pigs on lab plates!