Quotes & Comments

The suspicions that genetic maize damages nature and animals are so widespread that a ban is absolutely necessary. — German environmentalist association BUND chairman Hubert Weiger said, in response to Germany banning a genetically modified maize crop.

Germany has followed suit and taken France, Austria, Hungary, Greece and Luxembourg’s position against GMOs, and hopefully more will take the same path.
MON 810 maize, made by U.S. conglomerate Monsanto, will not be sown for Germany’s arriving harvest season due to a climate of public doubt surrounding genetically modified foods.

The European Union has ruled the grain is safe for consumption and is planning on investigating Germany’s ban, but no studies or lab equipment can calm the fear surrounding GMOs. There just isn’t enough long-term research to prove they are in fact safe for humans or the environment.

The future consequences of planting GMOs are unknown and with new information arising all the time about the harmful effects of pesticides, people aren’t too eager to put food in their mouth that was processed in a lab when everything else we consume is already so processed.

One common complaint is biologically engineered food decreases natural antibiotic resistance, similar to the affect overuse of antibacterial products has on the body’s immune system.
GMOs are also rumored to increase the amount of allergens in food, creating a whole new set of problems for consumers.

GMOs do serve a purpose though and can be useful. Their predecessors were intentionally used during the 1960s worldwide but created a controversial scenario. Some think increased agricultural produce resulted in more self-sufficient societies and a decrease in famine, while others have contended that the Revolution actually aided population increases in underdeveloped areas.

The future of GMOs is unknown, but those countries that are saying “No, thanks” until more information is available are taking the smart approach to a potentially serious problem.
Perhaps the U.S. companies should take the hint.

—Kimberly Schoetzow
Copy Editor

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=5734

Posted by HeraldAdmin on Apr 14 2009. Filed under Opinion, Quotes & Comments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
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