RE: [pf] NZ's Royal Commission on Gene Modif.; last two days' PA coverage.

by Betsy Gannon

06 December 2000 23:25 UTC

My experience is quite different, David A.  As townspeople in my area have
become aware of
the extent of genetic manipulation going on they are shocked and surprised
they are NOT the only ones concerned about this.  In my Sustainable Farm
and Farmer's Market (as much as possible organic), information and
petitions are shared and are constant.  These are the connected humans.
Others simply feel isolated and outraged.

I understand that you are talking about the general population, but what I
observe is the mothers are extremely alarmed and are a moving force,
across many interest lines, in opposing this and pulling off the covers.

The recent news that genetic corn has been used in fast food corn products
has people believing EXACTLY that these companies are putting something
over on us.  With justification, IMHO.

Betsy Gannon

 On Wed, 6 Dec 2000, David A wrote:
 
> David MacClement wrote:
> > From: Jonathan Hill <jonathan.hill@parliament.govt.nz>
> > FARMER TELLS INQUIRY OF HEAVY-HANDED TACTICS
> > 
> > ``Consumer resistance in Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, 
> > Mexico, South Africa, Brazil and the growing resistance in the 
> > United States makes it unlikely that many market opportunities 
> > will be available for GM crops.
> 
> I'm not sure this is the case for the US. I can't share any details 
> right now, but a producer I know who is making a film on biotechnology 
> has talk to a US statistician who has found that US consumers 
> overwhelmingly do not object to GM foods as long as they're labeled as 
> such. This is pre-Starlink, and pre-the current European BSE scare, and 
> I don't know if how these (the former, especially -- I'm not sure the 
> average American has heard of Europe's current BSE problems) affects the 
> results. Labeling, it seems, is the key item -- people don't seem to 
> mind as long as they don't think that someone is trying to put something 
> past them.
> 
> I'd be curious to see how US corn usage for food (if anyone even tracks 
> this sort of thing) changes over the next year, given Starlink. Or if 
> organic food sales increase above-and-beyond what I assume is already an 
> increasing trend.
> 
> David