GM
Chief scientist says GM and nanotechnology should be part of modern agriculture
IPN News coverage
Caroline Boin links food security and GM technology
GM is a matter of life and death, not lifestyle
IPN Opinion article
Prince Charles claimed GM crops could be "the biggest disaster environmentally of all time" in an interview with the Daily Telegraph. IPN Environment Director Caroline Boin's response gave the Telegraph letters page its top headline.
Fencing In Europe's Farmers
IPN Opinion article
EU environment ministers will decide this week whether Europe should have GMO-free zones - although genetically-modified crops have been in commercial production in the USA for a dozen years now, and, so far, there are no signs of killer tomatoes rampaging through California. Yet some environmentalists still so oppose modern agricultural biotechnology that the fear is still widespread.
Bad Labels, Bad Science
IPN Opinion article
This week the EU\'s Agriculture Council is trying to resolve the dilemma concerning the labeling of genetically modified food. So far European policy on GM food has been unscientific, misleading and even internally inconsistent. Policy, driven by the bureaucratic, protectionist European Commission, has created costly uncertainty for European food producers and consumers, and has prevented the transfer of the life-saving aspects of the technology to developing countries. This week\'s meeting cannot resolve everything but it could remove confusion from one area -- the labeling of GM food.
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Heated debate over GM food at Summit
IPN Opinion article
Though 14 million people face starvation in southern Africa, the controversy over genetically modified seed loomed Wednesday at the Johannesburg summit on sustainable development. In an increasingly vitriolic debate, GM critics argue that it is not an unacceptable solution, and supporters hail it as the answer to Africa's number one problem.
GM: past, present and future
IPN Opinion article
(1)There is no unequivocal evidence that genetically modified crops harm our health or the environment - yet there is an intense debate about their value and safety. (2) Such concerns about the risks of GM technology must be balanced against its enormous benefits - far from causing any new food safety problems, biotechnology has already demonstrated its potential in enhancing the nutritional quality of our food and in reducing harmful toxic compounds that exist in our food. (3) Understanding agricultural history is a good starting point in alleviating people's unease about GM foods - humans have been modifying crops for thousands of years, and without human care many of today's crops would cease to exist. (4) We should recognise the positive impact that GM technology can have on the environment - and that if problems arise, we can deal with them.
