Rethinking Lifestyle

I must confess that I do not know as much about the pros and cons of GE technology as I ought to.

GMOs are Genetically Modified Organisms; that is organisms – plants, animals or micro-organisms. GE technology refers to the technology that results in GMOs. Through various selective breeding techniques, humans have been modifying all of these organisms for a very long time, but the term GMO or GE, when used in this way is different. It refers to a specific technique where scientists manually manipulate the genetic material within an organism so the organism will manifest the characteristics sought by the scientists. One of the most sought after characteristics is tolerance to a particular chemical.

GMOs make the news occasionally. Almost always it is for one of two reasons. The first is that some consumer group wants GMO labelling on food – they want to know whether they are buying a GMO food when they are making a food purchase. And the producers of that food are opposed to GMO labelling. Obviously this is a health issue. I am concerned about my health, so it seems to me I should probably know more about this issue. After all, those of us who are silent [always] are implicitly supporting the status quo: which is no GMO labelling.

The second reason is that some company, usually Monsanto, wants to release a new GMO modified organism. Whether this permission should be given is an agronomic issue, which is a topic for another column.

Dr. Thierry Vrain, is a former soil biologist and genetic scientist, who worked for Agriculture Canada for 30 years. He was the designated spokesperson to assure the public of the safety of GMO crops. 10 years ago he retired, and after taking into account scientific evidence ignored by most of the bio-tech industry promoters and government regulators, Dr. Vrain has reversed his position and now warns of the dangers from GMOs.

I very much look forward to hearing what Dr. Vrain has to say. It is well known that some 25 years ago a major change occurred in the way research is funded. Prior to this change, most research in Canada (and around the world) was funded by taxpayers. This ensured that most research took place without bias, particularly in terms of what the unintended negative consequences of  the resulting technology might be. But around that time, taxes became a bad word, and every government, whether conservative or liberal, sought ways of shifting the cost burden from the taxpayer to the industry. As a result research has been increasingly funded and carried out by industry with the inevitable result: research and research reporting favours the use of the inputs those providing the funding for the research are producing. The public today, is not as informed about the full effect of new technology as it was a generation or two back.

The South Eastman Transition Initiative, together with the Organic Food Council of Manitoba is sponsoring an educational evening about GE foods. The event will take place at the Steinbach Arts Council on July 24 at 7:00pm. The presenter will be Dr. Theirry Vrain.