Genetic engineering?

steddyeddy

Hey guys I posted a thread in after hours about gm foods but maybe this is a better place to get and opinion. Whats everyones thoughts on genetically modified crops and livestock. What do you think of teagasc's endorsement of gm trials?

blue5000

steddyeddy wrote: »

Hey guys I posted a thread in after hours about gm foods but maybe this is a better place to get and opinion. Whats everyones thoughts on genetically modified crops and livestock. What do you think of teagasc's endorsement of gm trials?

Go back to AH:D

steddyeddy

blue5000 wrote: »

Go back to AH:D

Ah well in fairness most people in ah wouldnt be growing crops or rearing gm animals!

Bizzum

What exactly are we talking about here?
Is it gene manipulation within the laboratory?
Or am I genetically modifying cattle by trait selection?

steddyeddy

Bizzum wrote: »

What exactly are we talking about here?
Is it gene manipulation within the laboratory?
Or am I genetically modifying cattle by trait selection?

Im delighted you said that because a lot of people dont consider selective breeding a form of genetic engineering but it is. Im talking about gene manipulation in the lab and then breeding the modified cattle, sheep and pigs and crops as normal.

JohnBoy

teagasc have been carrying out GM research for years and have seemingly made some serious breakthroughs that could break the big company hold on gm crops.


I have no problem whatsoever with them taking that research from the laboratory to the field.


I'm a bit less black and white on GM crop production in ireland though

steddyeddy

JohnBoy wrote: »

teagasc have been carrying out GM research for years and have seemingly made some serious breakthroughs that could break the big company hold on gm crops.


I have no problem whatsoever with them taking that research from the laboratory to the field.


I'm a bit less black and white on GM crop production in ireland though

Cool everyone here seems fairly informed about it! I work with people who are involved with gm foods (not in ireland) and there seems to be a general public hatred for the subject. The worst that can happen is the business with monsanto were they hold several patents on gm crops. Teagasc getting in before monsanto is a very good thing.

Cardinal Richelieu

steddyeddy wrote: »

Cool everyone here seems fairly informed about it! I work with people who are involved with gm foods (not in ireland) and there seems to be a general public hatred for the subject. The worst that can happen is the business with monsanto were they hold several patents on gm crops. Teagasc getting in before monsanto is a very good thing.

The other argument from the anti GM camp is that with normal seeds the farmer/grower can gather seeds and regrow them year after year whilst with GM they would have to pay Monsanto for that privilage. Now that might be fine to gather your own seeds when you have a small allotment but the commercial farmer/grower can't take such risk so must buy from the seed companies for virus free and the latest disease resistant cultivars anyway. Its an argument from a group with little actual farming experience.

Maynooth also has done extensive GM research into the medical benefits of GM, I know they were trying to GM a tobacco plant as a treatment for AIDS.

Timmaay

From a farmers point of view, especially in Ireland where grass is a very low cost and efficient crop for producing dairy products/beef/lamb, GM is obviously not good? Ie at the minute, with the rising population of the world, food and agricultural land is limited, which in return means that the price of food will be kept high. But bring in GM plants, that give twice the yield etc, this increase supply to the point that the arse would fall out of the price of food?

Obviously I am only looking out for the good of myself (the farmer) in this case ha, and not say the fact that GM could possibly solve 3rd world hunger etc! (Which in my view is more about politics then actual shortage of food.)

The whole use of GM just to eradicate diseases in crops is a different ballgame altogether, and is of benefit to both the farmer (who suffers from loss of crops), and the consumer.

5live

steddyeddy wrote: »

Hey guys I posted a thread in after hours about gm foods but maybe this is a better place to get and opinion. Whats everyones thoughts on genetically modified crops and livestock. What do you think of teagasc's endorsement of gm trials?

Well the last i heard, people who went tho the US and ate GM foodstuffs didnt come back with an extra leg or an ear growing on their a**e so i fail to understand the hysteria about GM. As his eminance cardinal richelieu said, the whole idea of a company having a patent on foodstuffs sticks in my craw somewhat:mad:.

And the Teagasc trial is on cisgenic crops not transgenic crops so basically they did 12 years of breeding in one year and basically ended up with a crop result from 2014.

If Pat and Margaret Public want a GM free country they they need to realise they will either have huge food price inflation or a selection of crops that have been intensively sprayed (up to 14 times with anti-fungals for spuds alone iirc).

There is no zero sum game here