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Post by omohayek on Apr 23, 2016 10:49:06 GMT
colonial pikin , If you're interested in learning more about the reality gap between anti-GMO propaganda and the science behind it, I strongly suggest you read William Saletan's article on the subject. It is very, very long, but it's also very detailed, and packed with links to reputable papers backing up all of the assertions in it. If you can make it through the whole thing, and have the time to follow up on the links within the piece, I think you'll come to agree with me that anti-GMO agitation is simply scientifically illiterate, dishonest nonsense (the story of golden rice and the opposition to it is outright sickening).
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Post by colonial pikin on Apr 24, 2016 0:38:38 GMT
colonial pikin , If you're interested in learning more about the reality gap between anti-GMO propaganda and the science behind it, I strongly suggest you read William Saletan's article on the subject. It is very, very long, but it's also very detailed, and packed with links to reputable papers backing up all of the assertions in it. If you can make it through the whole thing, and have the time to follow up on the links within the piece, I think you'll come to agree with me that anti-GMO agitation is simply scientifically illiterate, dishonest nonsense (the story of golden rice and the opposition to it is outright sickening). Thanks for the links.I'll read them.You do make a sound argument and I am apt to agree with you lol but that Indian scientist is also against the GMO movement tho,Vandana Shiva here.I quite agree that African agriculture needs to improve drastically but I do wonder of the effects on the farmers in terms of dependency.How many African farmers can afford fertilizers etc far less the dependency on seeds that gmo will bring? I know a lot of folks say that the farms need to get larger but industrial agriculture alone is not the solution.I'll be the first to admit I got hippie tendencies so I am pro organic yada yah but if Africans think that GMOs is the solution to the low productivity of their agriculture system, that's their choice.
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Post by Honorebu on Apr 27, 2016 1:01:15 GMT
The making of livestock farmers
Keying into Federal Government’s plan to make agriculture major revenue earner in a diversified economy, the lawmaker representing Akoko South East/Akoko South West Federal Constituency of Ondo State in the House of Representatives, Kolawole Babatunde, has partnered with the Ministry of Labour and Productivity to train some of his constituents on livestock production. LEKE AKEREDOLU reports As a result of declining oil prices at the international market, the Federal Government is considering the non-oil sector, such as, agriculture as key to make the economy be on the upbeat again. President Muhammadu Buhari has said his administration is committed to ensuring that agriculture and other sectors such mining and manufacturing play critical roles in making Nigeria’s economy non-oil based. According to the President, the diversification of the economy will be avenue for job creation for millions of unemployed youths. Keying into the Federal Government’s resolve to diversify the economy and make agriculture major player in the nation’s economic recovery, over 40 youths from Akoko South East/Akoko South West Federal Constituency of Ondo State have been encouraged to go into livestock production. This was the gesture by the lawmaker representing them at the House of Representatives, Hon. Kolawole Babatunde. The beneficiaries have been trained on how to nurse chickens such as broilers and layers. Thenation
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Post by Short_Biscuit on Apr 28, 2016 9:03:07 GMT
‘Cross River may soon overtake Ondo in cocoa production’
Elder Johnson Akinniyi is a cocoa farmer and merchant. He is the chairman of an Ondo-based cocoa interest group. In this interview with TUNDE BUSARI, he speaks on how South-west government can increase production. Excerpts:
Is Ondo State still number one cocoa producing state in Nigeria with the pace of Cross Rivers State? Ondo State still takes the lead in Nigeria and that is a plus not only to the state but the entire South-west zone. What this means is that South-west is blessed with arable land. But I must be sincere in my analysis so that we don’t end up deceiving ourselves. As you rightly observed, Cross Rivers is more serious and not pretending to be after Ondo in terms of cocoa production. I have visited the state and met an impressive agriculture policy by the government. They are into mechanised cocoa production when we are still practising the way our fathers did it over 100 years. Can you expatiate on what you saw in Cross-Rivers? There is what I should call a mass production of cocoa going on in that state. It is what can best be called cocoa revolution. It is a public-private arrangement which is working very well. Hectares of land are allocated and backed up with capital input. How would cocoa famers be happy? Why I am most impressed is that Cross-Rivers State is also an oil-producing state. This shows the government over there is more serious. Cross Rivers State Government, despite its oil, is really planning for the future. They are seriously organised there. They have agencies set up to look and cater for cocoa production just to ensure they achieve maximum output. Comparatively, is this not a threat to Ondo State? As I have just said, the threat is real. If they maintain the pace, I have no doubt in my mind that in a few years, they will overtake Ondo to become the highest cocoa producing state in Nigeria. Perhaps, then our people here will wake up and do what is right? What is the right thing which South-West governments are not doing as regards cocoa production? I observe that our people find it difficult to say the truth. But until we say the truth and damn the consequence of saying it, we would not get to where we should as cocoa producing zone. I am always amazed recalling how the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo used cocoa revenue to develop the former Western Region to the state of envy of other regions. Why should our successive government not consolidate on that and make oil revenue secondary to our cocoa? That is why I now say that the fall in price of crude oil may be a blessing to us if we see it that way, anyway? I see it as an opportunity for our government to reflect and return to farm and return to the good old days of Chief Awolowo government. What is your experience as a cocoa farmer and merchant? The experience is better left than talked about here because one needs to be in the farm to see what an average farmer goes through. Does it make sense that our farmers still use old, aged implements like cutlass and hoe? Farmers suffer from different angles. After suffering to produce cocoa, they also face problem of storage. The process of harvesting, drying and carrying bags of cocoa to town is painful. The roads leading to farm are deplorable, a nightmare to drivers, especially during raining season. Lack of storage facilities forces them to sell immediately instead of preserving some to have appreciable price later. Going by this, young farmers are not attractive to take up farming. What then do you suggest to the government? Total cocoa rebirth and rehabilitation is my idea to sell to the government up to the federal level. We cannot continue to do things same way and not having same result. I am insisting on the farm settlement scheme of the Western Region days. Agric venture, if properly monitored, yields 100 per cent result. Invest in agric and reap bountifully. Government should refocus and end the practice of paper farmers. Enough is enough for political farmers who sit in the office and determine what goes to the farm. Farming is a practical thing. Back-to-land scheme in form of the former National Directorate of Employment should be put in place to bring in the unemployed young ones back to farm. With adequate loan facilities and other assistance, the youths would make the desired difference in our search for increased cocoa production.
tribuneonlineng.com/‘cross-river-may-soon-overtake-ondo-in-cocoa-production’
Shymmex ,iyalode ,Belmot ,IrekeOnibudo ,oduabachanal ,ilaje2015 ,omohayek ,Ogbeni Ogunnaike ,skylar ,cocoafarmer ,isalegangan ,yorumigrant ,ajanaku ,sakur ,ritchiee ,ijeshaboy ,egbaknight ,oduastates ,Omoluabi ,AgbongboAkala
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Post by Short_Biscuit on Apr 28, 2016 9:06:57 GMT
Osun detects 60m active cocoa trees Osun State government has identified over 60 million active cocoa trees across her 30 local government councils. Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who disclosed this in Oshogbo, the state capital, said that revenue from cocoa and other prominent farms produce would assist in turning around the economy and fortunes of the state if pursued with renewed vigor. Aregbesola assured that his administration would leave no stone unturned to make the state great again, hence the recent investment and research into Cocoa production and the focus on other areas of agriculture. The governor stated that for the state to start on a good footing at producing ‘Cocoa Omoluabi,’ it has enumerated and identified 60 million active cocoa trees in the state. Aregbesola, while meeting with Cocoa Produce Merchants in the state at the Government House Banquet Hall in Osogbo, stated that with new cocoa development initiatives in the state, there would be a new cash inflow making the economy of the state prosperous. He stated that the state had also gone further in her bid to boost cocoa production and agriculture with the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on the development of agriculture for massive food production as alternative to reliance on oil. The agreement, according to Aregbesola, involved releasing of 204.39 hectares of land in Ago Owu Farm Settlement to IITA for research and setting up demonstration farms. IITA will also carry out cassava, plantain and other crops multiplication, including cocoa, as well as train the youths in the state in modern, commercial and profitable farming. Aregbesola emphasised that the state, in her bid to increase Internally Generated Revenue, would establish commodity board that will be supervised directly by the office of the governor to ensure Osun ranked among the best cocoa producers in Nigeria within the next two years. He told the produce merchants that the economic situation of the state had been badly affected with the pillaging of the national treasury by the previous administration. Aregbesola added that with the drop in oil prices and the sharp reduction in the Federation Accounts from N1.2 trillion in 2012 to N369 billion in November, the allocations shared in December 2015 had reduced the running of government to little or nothing, hence the need to look inward in increasing the IGR. The governor noted that the state would soon bounce back with the identification of 60 million cocoa trees presently in the state, adding that government henceforth would criminalise any action of farmers and merchants that ran afoul of government laws on cocoa. newtelegraphonline.com/osun-detects-60m-active-cocoa-trees/Shymmex , iyalode , Belmot , IrekeOnibudo , oduabachanal , ilaje2015 , omohayek , Ogbeni Ogunnaike , skylar , cocoafarmer , isalegangan , yorumigrant , ajanaku , sakur , ritchiee , ijeshaboy , egbaknight , oduastates , Omoluabi , AgbongboAkala
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Post by Omoluabi on Apr 28, 2016 9:18:40 GMT
Abeg Aregbe and co should stop mouth action jare!!
I didn't even know cross river had a single cocoa tree yet they're about to overtake ondo as biggest producer.
What is wrong with these unproductive leaders sef? What is cross river doing that ondo or osun can't do?
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Post by Short_Biscuit on Apr 28, 2016 9:21:08 GMT
Abeg Aregbe and co should stop mouth action jare!! I didn't even know cross river had a single cocoa tree yet they're about to overtake ondo as biggest producer. What is wrong with these unproductive leaders sef? What is cross river doing that ondo or osun can't do? I pray that doesn't come to pass bro. Our leaders have become very lazy over time thanks to Oyel money. Smh.
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Post by Omoluabi on Apr 28, 2016 9:28:00 GMT
Abeg Aregbe and co should stop mouth action jare!! I didn't even know cross river had a single cocoa tree yet they're about to overtake ondo as biggest producer. What is wrong with these unproductive leaders sef? What is cross river doing that ondo or osun can't do? I pray that doesn't come to pass bro. Our leaders have become very lazy over time thanks to Oyel money. Smh. I pray it does jare. 2 benefits I see 1.more fx for the country. 2.shame of Yoruba and her leaders will be in the public domain. Maybe that'll spur us to actually start doing something worthwhile to change this terrible statistics.
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Post by AgbongboAkala on Apr 28, 2016 13:29:21 GMT
Abeg Aregbe and co should stop mouth action jare!! I didn't even know cross river had a single cocoa tree yet they're about to overtake ondo as biggest producer. What is wrong with these unproductive leaders sef? What is cross river doing that ondo or osun can't do? You know our leaders are reactionaries. It's only when it happens you see them running here and there. I know sometimes Mimiko used to talk of Ondo state being the 2nd cleanest state in Nigeria after Cross River. Maybe he wouldn't allow Cross River to snatch that title from his state. But I doubt it because he is already in the twilight of his administration. Hoping that the next governor would get it right. Just hoping.
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Post by Omoluabi on Apr 28, 2016 14:29:18 GMT
Abeg Aregbe and co should stop mouth action jare!! I didn't even know cross river had a single cocoa tree yet they're about to overtake ondo as biggest producer. What is wrong with these unproductive leaders sef? What is cross river doing that ondo or osun can't do? You know our leaders are reactionaries. It's only when it happens you see them running here and there. I know sometimes Mimiko used to talk of Ondo state being the 2nd cleanest state in Nigeria after Cross River. Maybe he wouldn't allow Cross River to snatch that title from his state. But I doubt it because he is already in the twilight of his administration. Hoping that the next governor would get it right. Just hoping. I hope they or their successors wake up and smell the coffee. Things are no longer the same.
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Post by colonial pikin on Apr 29, 2016 0:56:20 GMT
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Post by colonial pikin on Apr 29, 2016 0:57:18 GMT
hopefully this initiative will be successful...I really like how they have various stakeholders involved especially ITTA.
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Post by olukumi on Apr 29, 2016 2:57:59 GMT
On GMOs. Take precaution and tread carefully, not all GMOs will are toxic to the body but Monsanto's roundup resistant crops are already showing signs of long term toxicity. Remember when the tobacco industry funded science said smoking cigarettes was healthy! I personally don't go out of my way to avoid GMOs except for the ones I know I am intolerant to like soy beans, but I don't buy them for my kids. There are evidence of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases related to GMOs but as per usual the lobby for GMO is extremely powerful. Here are some NIH studies (not random articles): Debate on GMOs Health Risks after Statistical Findings in Regulatory Tests www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2952409/Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24491722Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases II: Celiac sprue and gluten intolerance www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945755/Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22999595A retraction of the study www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24490213Answers to critics: Why there is a long term toxicity due to a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize and to a Roundup herbicide. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23146697From other sources (global non-NIH): Scientists say new study shows pig health hurt by GMO feed mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE95A14K20130611Definitely there is some correlation between the prevalence of GMOs and the increase of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Just like any science they will rely on statistics. So the statistically insignificant population are humans that may be be suffering from the effects of GMOs with conditions such as Celiac disease, IBS, Autistic symptoms without any autism genetic markers (gut and brain inflammation), etc etc. Bottomline is, if you react to a certain GMO food and you can tolerate the organic version then dump it. The world benefits from GMOs but a small population are suffering debilitating diseases as a result of the innovation. One of those pros vs cons decisions; more food that majority tolerates vs. low crop yields and hunger games. Monsanto, the behemoth behind GMOs is an evil company though. Here are some lawsuits (related to their herbicide) filed when roundup was linked to increased incidence of cancer and the fucking company knew about the issue for decades. mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0S92H720151015articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/11/03/monsanto-gmo-glyphosate.aspxMonsanto PCB contamination. I watched this on PBS. Like the above, they knew about the contamination for decades and kept quiet. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/seattle-sues-monsanto-seeking-millions-to-clean-up-pcbs-from-duwamish/Portland Becomes Seventh City to Sue Monsanto Over PCB Contamination www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/City-of-San-Diego-Sues-Monsanto-Over-PCB-Pollution-322446342.htmlNow how does one fully trust a company such as Monsanto when they have a foul record with regards to human health? The government (USA) should make it mandatory to label GMO foods and more human studies should be done on GMOs. Corporations shouldn't stifle scientists interested in getting these studies done. Yes, their is serious politics and a strong lobby in research funding and peer reviews. Politics behind GMO: Industry lobby Food Industry Enlisted Academics in G.M.O. Lobbying War, Emails Show mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/us/food-industry-enlisted-academics-in-gmo-lobbying-war-emails-show.html?referer=Academics join lobbying war between GMO and organic industries fortune.com/2015/09/07/academics-gmo-organic/Monsanto, DuPont Spending Millions to Oppose California's GMO Labeling Law www.forbes.com/sites/amywestervelt/2012/08/22/monsanto-dupont-spending-millions-to-oppose-californias-gmo-labeling-law/#4678f01f31a6
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Post by omohayek on Apr 29, 2016 8:03:15 GMT
On GMOs. Take precaution and tread carefully, not all GMOs will are toxic to the body but Monsanto's roundup resistant crops are already showing signs of long term toxicity. Remember when the tobacco industry funded science said smoking cigarettes was healthy! I personally don't go out of my way to avoid GMOs except for the ones I know I am intolerant to like soy beans, but I don't buy them for my kids. There are evidence of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases related to GMOs but as per usual the lobby for GMO is extremely powerful. Here are some NIH studies (not random articles): Debate on GMOs Health Risks after Statistical Findings in Regulatory Tests www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2952409/Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24491722Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases II: Celiac sprue and gluten intolerance www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945755/Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22999595A retraction of the study www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24490213Answers to critics: Why there is a long term toxicity due to a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize and to a Roundup herbicide. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23146697From other sources (global non-NIH): Scientists say new study shows pig health hurt by GMO feed mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE95A14K20130611Definitely there is some correlation between the prevalence of GMOs and the increase of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Just like any science they will rely on statistics. So the statistically insignificant population are humans that may be be suffering from the effects of GMOs with conditions such as Celiac disease, IBS, Autistic symptoms without any autism genetic markers (gut and brain inflammation), etc etc. Bottomline is, if you react to a certain GMO food and you can tolerate the organic version then dump it. The world benefits from GMOs but a small population are suffering debilitating diseases as a result of the innovation. One of those pros vs cons decisions; more food that majority tolerates vs. low crop yields and hunger games. Monsanto, the behemoth behind GMOs is an evil company though. Here are some lawsuits (related to their herbicide) filed when roundup was linked to increased incidence of cancer and the fucking company knew about the issue for decades. mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0S92H720151015articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/11/03/monsanto-gmo-glyphosate.aspxMonsanto PCB contamination. I watched this on PBS. Like the above, they knew about the contamination for decades and kept quiet. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/seattle-sues-monsanto-seeking-millions-to-clean-up-pcbs-from-duwamish/Portland Becomes Seventh City to Sue Monsanto Over PCB Contamination www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/City-of-San-Diego-Sues-Monsanto-Over-PCB-Pollution-322446342.htmlNow how does one fully trust a company such as Monsanto when they have a foul record with regards to human health? The government (USA) should make it mandatory to label GMO foods and more human studies should be done on GMOs. Corporations shouldn't stifle scientists interested in getting these studies done. Yes, their is serious politics and a strong lobby in research funding and peer reviews. Politics behind GMO: Industry lobby Food Industry Enlisted Academics in G.M.O. Lobbying War, Emails Show mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/us/food-industry-enlisted-academics-in-gmo-lobbying-war-emails-show.html?referer=Academics join lobbying war between GMO and organic industries fortune.com/2015/09/07/academics-gmo-organic/Monsanto, DuPont Spending Millions to Oppose California's GMO Labeling Law www.forbes.com/sites/amywestervelt/2012/08/22/monsanto-dupont-spending-millions-to-oppose-californias-gmo-labeling-law/#4678f01f31a6Even if everything you said about Monsanto were true, you do realize that most GMOs are not made by that one company, right? Do you even know who makes Golden Rice? Besides, what you're mostly doing here is regurgitating anti-GMO agitprop - the links to Fortune, Forbes and the like add nothing at all to the discussion, given the lack of subject-matter expertise of journalists working at generalist publications. Frankly, as someone who is actually working in biotechnology right now, and has therefore had to carefully learn the science behind it, this is a topic on which you are well out of your depth. If you understand how genetic engineering and traditional crop breeding works, you'll realize that the idea that GMOs cause allergens while "organic" produce does not (and what food isn't "organic" anyway?) is simply ridiculous. If anything, GMOs are safer than crops bred the old-fashioned way, for the simple reason that their genetic properties can be precisely targeted, while with old style breeding, selection of favored variants inevitably drags along other mutations which might have unwelcome effects: this is population genetics 101 (" linkage disequilibrium").
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Post by olukumi on Apr 29, 2016 10:59:07 GMT
On GMOs. Take precaution and tread carefully, not all GMOs will are toxic to the body but Monsanto's roundup resistant crops are already showing signs of long term toxicity. Remember when the tobacco industry funded science said smoking cigarettes was healthy! I personally don't go out of my way to avoid GMOs except for the ones I know I am intolerant to like soy beans, but I don't buy them for my kids. There are evidence of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases related to GMOs but as per usual the lobby for GMO is extremely powerful. Here are some NIH studies (not random articles): Debate on GMOs Health Risks after Statistical Findings in Regulatory Tests www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2952409/Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24491722Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases II: Celiac sprue and gluten intolerance www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945755/Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22999595A retraction of the study www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24490213Answers to critics: Why there is a long term toxicity due to a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize and to a Roundup herbicide. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23146697From other sources (global non-NIH): Scientists say new study shows pig health hurt by GMO feed mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE95A14K20130611Definitely there is some correlation between the prevalence of GMOs and the increase of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Just like any science they will rely on statistics. So the statistically insignificant population are humans that may be be suffering from the effects of GMOs with conditions such as Celiac disease, IBS, Autistic symptoms without any autism genetic markers (gut and brain inflammation), etc etc. Bottomline is, if you react to a certain GMO food and you can tolerate the organic version then dump it. The world benefits from GMOs but a small population are suffering debilitating diseases as a result of the innovation. One of those pros vs cons decisions; more food that majority tolerates vs. low crop yields and hunger games. Monsanto, the behemoth behind GMOs is an evil company though. Here are some lawsuits (related to their herbicide) filed when roundup was linked to increased incidence of cancer and the fucking company knew about the issue for decades. mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0S92H720151015articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/11/03/monsanto-gmo-glyphosate.aspxMonsanto PCB contamination. I watched this on PBS. Like the above, they knew about the contamination for decades and kept quiet. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/seattle-sues-monsanto-seeking-millions-to-clean-up-pcbs-from-duwamish/Portland Becomes Seventh City to Sue Monsanto Over PCB Contamination www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/City-of-San-Diego-Sues-Monsanto-Over-PCB-Pollution-322446342.htmlNow how does one fully trust a company such as Monsanto when they have a foul record with regards to human health? The government (USA) should make it mandatory to label GMO foods and more human studies should be done on GMOs. Corporations shouldn't stifle scientists interested in getting these studies done. Yes, their is serious politics and a strong lobby in research funding and peer reviews. Politics behind GMO: Industry lobby Food Industry Enlisted Academics in G.M.O. Lobbying War, Emails Show mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/us/food-industry-enlisted-academics-in-gmo-lobbying-war-emails-show.html?referer=Academics join lobbying war between GMO and organic industries fortune.com/2015/09/07/academics-gmo-organic/Monsanto, DuPont Spending Millions to Oppose California's GMO Labeling Law www.forbes.com/sites/amywestervelt/2012/08/22/monsanto-dupont-spending-millions-to-oppose-californias-gmo-labeling-law/#4678f01f31a6Even if everything you said about Monsanto were true, you do realize that most GMOs are not made by that one company, right? Do you even know who makes Golden Rice? Besides, what you're mostly doing here is regurgitating anti-GMO agitprop - the links to Fortune, Forbes and the like add nothing at all to the discussion, given the lack of subject-matter expertise of journalists working at generalist publications. Frankly, as someone who is actually working in biotechnology right now, and has therefore had to carefully learn the science behind it, this is a topic on which you are well out of your depth. If you understand how genetic engineering and traditional crop breeding works, you'll realize that the idea that GMOs cause allergens while "organic" produce does not (and what food isn't "organic" anyway?) is simply ridiculous. If anything, GMOs are safer than crops bred the old-fashioned way, for the simple reason that their genetic properties can be precisely targeted, while with old style breeding, selection of favored variants inevitably drags along other mutations which might have unwelcome effects: this is population genetics 101 (" linkage disequilibrium"). Link to fortune and forbes are the politics behind GMO which is clearly stated. The science are in the NIH links and I posted even the back and forth between PIs just to show what goes on in that community. I can speak of Monsanto cause that's one of the most notorious ones and they are the biggest. Dupont and Syngenta have food safety related lawsuits galore. We can only focus on so many companies in a forum like this so asking me who makes what is besides the point unless you are purposefully ignoring where I said GMOs are relatively safe for the majority but wrecking havoc on that "insignificant population" and more research needs to be done. While I can tolerate golden rice, my body may have inflammatory response to some GMO soy. Allergens exist in nature but the issue is the preposderance of cases of allergic reactions to food. My kids and my friends kids all have some sort of allergy that us the parents do not have. How far did their genes mutate within a generation to start reacting to foods their parents have no such issues with! The incidence of allergic reactions to foods is definitely increasing at an alarming rate and barring environmental factors, what else has changed? UK government link www.allergyuk.org/why-is-allergy-increasing/why-is-allergy-increasing"Why is Allergy Increasing? The latest surveys show that the rates of allergy are increasing throughout the world, affecting up to 30-35% of people at some stage in their lives. This increase was initially seen in countries such as the UK, Europe and USA, but can now be found in all countries undergoing industrial development." www.foodallergy.org/facts-and-statsFood Allergies on the Rise According to a study released in 2013 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food allergies among children increased approximately 50% between 1997 and 2011. The number of people who have a food allergy is growing, but there is no clear answer as to why. Researchers are trying to discover why food allergies are on the rise in developed countries worldwide, and to learn more about the impact of the disease in developing nations. More than 17 million Europeans have a food allergy, and hospital admissions for severe reactions in children have risen seven-fold over the past decade, according to the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI). Center for Disease Control link www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db10.htmAll anecdotal? Correlation is not causation? Statement from EU scientists about a lack of consensus www.ensser.org/increasing-public-information/no-scientific-consensus-on-gmo-safety/ I consult for research institutes and higher education (mostly funding related). I speak with PIs, research and university executives 4-5 days in a week, i know what i am talking about. Let me just put it this way. A lot goes on in the background not relating to science but to provision of funds for research. More "independent" studies should be funded. Science is not static.
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