• Question: Hi, I really enjoyed reading about our work this is something I am really interested in. I was wondering what your opinion on GM foods are and whether or not we will eventually have to solely rely on them? Thanks, Ben

    Asked by the1jamaican1hopscotch1mafias1marketing1director to Eoin on 16 Mar 2011.
    • Photo: Eoin Lettice

      Eoin Lettice answered on 16 Mar 2011:

      Hi Ben,
      Thanks for your question and your interest in my work.
      That’s a really topical question to ask! Personally, I believe that the science has proven that, when they are used correctly, GM crops are safe. I think there is no scientific reason not to grow them in a safe, intelligent manner.
      There are other objections to using GM crops but they are not based on the science.
      I think a big problem is public perception: Lots of the GM crops being grown elsewhere in the world are modified to make it easier for the FARMER to grow them or for the supermarket to store them. Those are not benefits that the consumer enjoys.
      I think that the new range of GM crops should have modificatiosn that benefit you and me and other ‘normal’ people – like more tasty fruit and veg, more nutrituous and healthy products, etc.

      In answer to your second question: I think the GM will be just one of the ways of growing crops in the future; alongside organic, conventional and traditional methods. There should be no reason why all the options aren’t available for people to use.

      What do you think of GM crops?

      Eoin

      Eoin

Comments

  • Photo: the1jamaican1hopscotch1mafias1marketing1director

    the1jamaican1hopscotch1mafias1marketing1director commented on :

    I think they are something we need to think about in the future, although i would be offended if i bought something and then realised it was genetically modified.
    I also heard arguments that when crops that are genetically modified to produce pesticides, the ‘pests’ that they are intended to kill develop immunity to them.

  • Photo: 08wooda

    08wooda commented on :

    What about the damage that GM crops are causing to the environment that they are planted in?
    What about the entire ecosystem that depends on the insects and lavae that feed on the crops?
    We had the same effect with the DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) usage in the 40s and 50s, that ruined the entire countryside…
    We should be encouraging the animals higher up in the food chain to eat more lavae, or let them evolve to eat more insects, not interfering with the gentics of the plants, something highly complicated and best left to work itself out…