The Ignorance surrounding GM is not just on the part of its opponents, but also its advocates

I got into a lively debate with a chemistry graduate at a recent public talk given by a representative of Teagasc on 'Biodiversity Options' in Irish farming. Perhaps it was impolitic of me, but I couldn't resist asking the speaker on her views concerning Teagasc's aggressive pro-GM stance. She had no apparent views, but nonetheless a mini-debate was triggered, threatening to side-track a pretty anodyne discussion. Was it wrong of me to bring this up? I am yet to be convinced, given that this was talk on biodiversity where the term 'biodiversity' appeared to be viewed as a mere sales term.

In any case, this graduate was eager to educate me on the intricacies of genetic engineering – thinking me ignorant on the topic. I countered by suggesting that what biotech was trying to do was cheat natural selection. He responded by stating, and here I am paraphrasing, 'Given the choice between change happening in six generations and one, I will choose one'. But, I objected, we don't know the medium- to long-term effects of GM food on the human body or the environment. A woman, whom I took to be a classmate of his, dived in, ready to inform me all about GM. She had, after all, recently completed her thesis on the subject. So I challenged her to produce the raw data from human cellular and genetic testing which shows that GM food has no negative impact on health. She could not.

I wondered how someone could write an entire thesis on something without having the raw data concerning its health effects on hand. I wondered further, how someone could advocate something as being safe without having this data. How can you place your implicit trust in a group of corporations, based solely upon their word? Then I was reminded of a quote from Aaron Sorkin's paean to the folkloric notion of nobility and honesty in politics - The American President, when Michael Douglas's President Andy Shepherd finally lets loose on hawkish Republican Bob Rumson, played by Richard Dreyfuss:

I've been operating under the assumption that the reason Bob devotes so much time and energy to shouting at the rain was that he simply didn't get it. Well, I was wrong. Bob's problem isn't that he doesn't get it. Bob's problem is that he can't sell it!

True enough, scientists have grants to obtain and jobs to secure, and going against the apparently unimpeachable probity of biotech companies would appear to be career suicide. They see a problem: increasing famine and drought, climate change and population growth, not to mention a vocal section of society that seems happy to live with their heads in the sand regarding these matters. They see scientific progress as major instigator of the forward momentum of humankind. In a world with diminishing resources and finite space, why should science not be the answer to our collective prayers?

Unfortunately, since the industrial revolution, scientific inquiry and ethics have become increasingly estranged from each other. Science appears to be inextricably linked with the relentless growth of the corporation in modern times. Efficiency and the bottom line seem to be the guiding star of the scientific world. This is the only way I can explain the amorality surrounding the involvement of scientists in the ever-deadlier pursuit of war. The Nazis were not the only monsters in the mid-20th century, as the people of Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia and many other unfortunate battlefields can testify.

It may seem simplistic to state that science has replaced god in people’s lives, but there is an unavoidable truth in this. Since Darwin unlocked the genius of natural selection, scientists have seemed insatiable in their desire to go one better than nature, and in doing so have shown their fundamental scientific illiteracy. The pro-GM lobby likes to call opponents scientific luddites. However, in attempting to surpass the excruciatingly gradual and seemingly cruel nature of the evolutionary process, the biotech industry is itself guilty of this cardinal sin. It is not us who are ignorant of science. We want the evidence. All we want is to know if what you are eager to force down our throats is safe. Is that too much to ask?

In the light of the Environmental Protection Agency's green light to a trial of genetically modified potatoes in Ireland, we are seeing a chilling trend in recent times which has heralded a more aggressive campaign than ever to force GM onto our plates. A recent court ruling in France lifted a temporary ban on modified maize developed by Monsanto, stating: "no specific scientific evidence, in terms of risk to human and animal health or the environment". Since when do those proposing something no longer have to present evidence to support their contention? Why do those questioning it suddenly have to shoulder the responsibility of producing evidence? It's like a theist demanding that an atheist prove that God doesn't exist – a logical fallacy.

Indeed, it seems that governments are placing an unwarranted amount of faith in the statements of corporations. If GM food is safe, why does the biotech industry not produce this evidence, but rather make it nigh-on impossible to access it? What are they hiding and why? Could it be that the anecdotal evidence from farmers and campaigners around the world is true - that GM crops contaminate non-GM crops by cross-pollination, that the failure of GM crops to thrive in India has caused hundreds of farmers of commit suicide?

The EPA and the Irish Government are not interested in such evidence, however compelling. They are only concerned about quick fixes and the appearance of progress. The scientific research being done into polyculture and small holdings as a solution to the growing food crisis is of little matter to them. Like our friend Rob Rumson, their only concern is that they might have trouble selling it.

Ireland's wild palette

In a time when food security is becoming an increasingly fraught issue, when organic growers are being pushed further into the margins and the onslaught of genetically-modified foods is growing ever more vicious, increasing our individual and national self-sufficiency is vital. The intrinsic unsustainability of so-called conventional farming as well as constant instability in oil prices could soon herald crisis which threatens the ready availability of food in our shops and supermarkets. 

As more information has become available about the health dangers caused by artificial pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers, as well as the untold harm caused by GM foods in our diets, the popularity of the movements such as organic and grow-it-yourself has increased greatly in recent years. Allotments and community gardens have once again become staple sights in our urban landscape and new concepts such as guerrilla gardening have helped to brighten up sites left vacant after the collapse of the building industry.

In addition to such initiatives, many have returned to raiding nature’s larder as a means of broadening the variety of foods in their diets, as well as recapturing the simple pleasures of gleaning mushrooms, nuts, roots and wildflowers – long-forgotten past-times to many.

For thousands of years, Irish people have supplemented their diets by taking advantage of the many types of free food that nature provides. Necessity meant that many had to turn to foraging in order to combat the uncertainty of the Irish climate which meant that food could be scarce. Poverty and strife meant that people became increasingly dependent on what they could forage from the wild. 

In early times, seaweed was harvested both as a natural fertilizer and as a nutritious food. The spring tide closest to St. Brigid’s day was known as Rabharta na Féile Bríde, and was considered the most favourable tide of the year for collecting seaweed. Dilisc and Carraigín are two examples of Irish seaweeds which historically helped supplement the Irish diet as they are full of nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, iron, protein as well as vitamins A, C, D, E, K and B12. Today, they are exported around the world for use in food and cosmetics, as well as being an excellent natural fertiliser.

Long considered the bane of well-manicured lawns, the dandelion is a tenacious foe to many gardeners and often falls victim to chemical weed-killers. However, few are aware of what beneficial aid it can be to organic gardeners. The deep roots of the dandelion also taps nutrients sourced from deep within the soil and brings them up to the surface. Dandelion tea is a wonderful organic feed which can give plants like tomatoes an extra boost. The leaves of the dandelion can be boiled or simply eaten raw in a salad. They are a natural super-food, filled with essential vitamins and minerals such as beta-carotene, vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and protein, among others. As well as being decorative, the flowers can also be eaten raw or cooked.

In Ireland, many people overlook the painful stings which nettles cause because of their healthful properties. When young shoots are picked early in spring, they can be added to water and drunk as a soothing and relaxing tea which helps calm acid indigestion. They can also be boiled in a soup or blanched to remove the sting and used as an alternative to spinach or other cooked greens in many recipes. They are a delicious source of anti-oxidants, as well as vitamins A, C and E, calcium and iron. 

Also unjustly ignored as a food source due to their spiny and forbidding appearance is the humble thistle. Young shoots can be eaten in salads, and roots can be chopped and fried. Always wear gloves and take care when harvesting as they can give you a nasty sting.

 

It goes without saying that one should only forage for food on land which has not been chemically sprayed or is located too close to roads. Be sure that you source wild foods from areas away from toxic dumping or effluent pipes. In order to safely enjoy the healthful benefits of these foods, know what you are picking. Stay away from unfamiliar weeds or mushrooms, and by all means buy a reputable guide to plants and familiarise yourself with the ones that are safe to eat. 

I recommend the seminal ‘Food for Free’ by Richard Mabey as a starter primer. It was originally limited to English plants but the new edition features Irish plants as well. From time to time, the Organic Centre in Leitrim runs courses on ‘Foraging for wild herbs and plants’, taught by Joerg Mueller. Keep an eye on their website for this and other interesting courses.

Teagasc plans GM potato trial in Ireland

Teagasc - The Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority yesterday announced its intention to apply to the Environmental Protection Agency for a licence to test GM potatoes for their resistence to blight. This should come as no surprise to those who have been monitoring Teagasc's alarmingly pro-GM stance in recent years. They are responsible for the cunningly titled website http://www.gmoinfo.ie/ (thereby ensuring ease of access through search engines for anyone using the terms 'GMO in Ireland'). It claims to be a resource which aims to 'support your understanding of the issues associated with GM crop cultivation' but scratch the surface and it is an unapologetic propaganda site for genetically modified crops.

This appears to be the latest step in the Irish government's recent campaign to reverse the 2009 ban on the growth of GMO crops and the commitment of the previous Fianna Fáil/Green Party coalition to preserve Ireland's status as a 'GMO-free country'. Early in 2011, two weeks before leaving office, in a craven sleight of hand, Fianna Fáil Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith announced that Ireland would now support EU proposals to introduce GMO products into the foodchain.

In December 2011, Fine Gael Ministe for Agriculture Simon Coveney highlighted the fact that GMO products had been effectively sneaked into the Irish diet through animal feed for years, and emphasised the importance of a wider public understanding of the role which GMO food played in Irish agriculture. This may have been merely a prelude to this latest police action by Teagasc - an attempt to foster apathy and acceptance in the public.

This action by Teagasc is the boldest move yet by an Irish government body to foist this untested and potentially dangerous product of Frankenstein science onto an unwilling public. In their press release, they even cynically envoke the Irish Famine as a valid reason for embarking on the trial:

"After decimating the Irish potato crop in the 1840s and sparking the Great Famine, the organism (Phytophthora infestans) which causes late blight disease remains a very real threat to Irish potato growers. As new, more aggressive strains of the pathogen have arrived in Ireland over the last 4 years, farmers have had to adapt by increasing the amount of fungicides applied but this is not sustainable; especially in light of new EU laws designed to reduce the amount of chemicals that are applied on our crops."

This is an emotional ploy, similar to the unconscionable claim that GMO foods will feed the starving of the world. The Irish Famine was caused in part by an enforced monoculture and deliberate destruction of biodiversity and food culture. Wherever the disastrous experiment that is genetically modified food has been attempted, a similar destruction of biodiversity and enforced monism of agriculture has followed.

The horrors of GMO have been most clearly demonstrated in India, among which is the recent epidemic of suicides among farmers due to the devastation done to their lives and traditional farming methods by globalization and the imposition of GMO. The damage being done by genetic engineering in agriculture has been courageously brought to light by the pioneering work of campaigner Dr. Vandana Shiva.

 
With this attempt to introduce genetically modified potatoes to Ireland, it appears that Teagasc, hand in hand with the GM lobby is taking the most brazen and deliberate step to enslave our farmers to Monsanto and other giants of genetic engineering.