----- Original Message -----
From: "Torsten Brinch"
Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition,nz.general,sci.agriculture
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 9:52 AM
Subject: Paying to find non-GE wild corn?


: On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 09:31:21 GMT, "Gordon Couger"
: wrote:
:
: Due to testing in GM food stuffs we are much less likely to get
unintended
: hazards in food stuffs than we are in in normally bred food stuffs. I can
: list several cases of food stuffs that case harm bred with conventional
: methods an you can't list a single one with GM methods.
:
: It is not clear which testing you are referring to -- somewhat linked
: to it being unclear what you mean by 'food stuffs'. Maybe you meant to
: write 'varieties'?
:
: But then your argument would seem to assume that GM methods are not
: used in combination with conventional breeding methods. Which they
: are, and which I know that you know that they are.
:
: Or, it assumes that unintended food hazards from the conventional
: breeding methods involved are being tested for in GM varieties, but
: not in non-GM varieties of the same crop species -- and that you can
: name several such comparable non-GM varieties that cause harm because
: they were not similarly tested from the outset.
:
: And, that, I - erm - might well not think that you can. TO make things
: worse, were you to be inable to name them, that would put you in an
: awkward position with your argument, since in any given crop species
: that have GM varieties used for food currently, you would have had
: vastly more non-GM varieties to pick your alleged harm-causers from,
: than your opponent would have had GM-varieties.
:
: So, perhaps better; can I ask you to rephrase your argument, please.
:
Your free to ask anything you want. You can hold your breath until I do it
and see how blue you turn.

There is the case of the organic zucchini squash that had such high levels
of natural pesticides that it was harmful to humans. Bred by organic farmer
saving the seed the fared the best ageist the bugs.

There are several chili pepper that are not save to pick by hand because the
dust can cause serious inflation of the eyes, lungs and sinuses.

One cotton variety was bred to be insect resistant that turned out to have
levels of gossypol in the cotton seed cake too high for safety.

A celery was bread that caused dermatitis in the pickers before mechanical
picking

While not a breeding problem an organic hydroponic operation use Temic on
cucumbers which is strictly against label use and injured some people.
Showing not only the dishonesty but the stupidity of some organic producers.
That try to hold their product up as the standard for GM crops to match.

There have many more tons of GM crops that use GM methods shipped an
consumed in the last few year than there have organic crops in the last 20
years and I can find plenty of problems far less organic food than you can
many time the amount of GM food.

Gordon