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Scotland To Ban GM Crops

Posted by Soulskill on from the watch-out-for-that-dihydrogen-monoxide-too dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Scotland's rural affairs minister has announced the country will ban the growing of genetically modified crops. He said, "I am concerned that allowing GM crops to be grown in Scotland would damage our clean and green brand, thereby gambling with the future of our £14 billion food and drink sector." Many Scottish farmers disapprove of the ban, pointing out that competing farms in nearby England face no such restriction. "The hope was to have open discussion and allow science to show the pros and cons for all of us to understand either the potential benefits or potential downsides. What we have now is that our competitors will get any benefits and we have to try and compete. It is rather naïve."

4 of 361 comments (clear)

  1. GMO. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    "The hope was to have open discussion and allow science to show the pros and cons for all of us to understand "
    Unfortunately, this argument isn't about science. It's about the ability to patent and control crops. GMO crops are safe and effective, the use of them are only bad in the long term effects of politics and big money.

  2. Re:Wait, what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I believe he wanted something without an agenda being pushed.

    Also:

    People like myself .... believe this book is more than junk science or misinterpreted data.

    You are religious, and that is nuts.

  3. Re:Wait, what? by bws111 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How the fuck did he 'saved the seed and planted is next season' if your claim that they do not produce viable seed is correct? You need to keep your lies straight.

  4. Re:Wait, what? by tlhIngan · · Score: 4, Interesting

    anytime a company holds a patent on our craps and can one day charge $1000 per seed or hold everyone hostage by not producing the seeds unless political or financial agreements is made is a BAD thing.

    Why would you think that this could happen? There are tons of companies that produce seed. The only reason a farmer would pay a ton of money for their particular seed was if it was a really profitable seed that they couldn't get anywhere else. And farmers have been buying seeds anually forever for lots of crops. Agreements not to replant specialty varietals long predate the modern transgenic era. A lot of the time, they're just buying a particularly useful hybrid that doesn't breed true (or doesn't produce seeds at all), so it makes sense to buy seeds year after year anyway.

    That's because it's already happened. If you notice a bunch of crops growing on your land with special properties, and you dare replant those next year, you could inadvertently be running afoul of a license agreement you never saw, never agreed to and be sued for patent infringement.

    So it doesn't matter that you can buy seed from a competitor - if some of the "viral" seed ends up on your land, your only option is to burn it. Or be sued.

    Terminator seeds don't work, period. And unless the legal system changes to the point where if your patented seeds end up on someone else's farmland, then it's SOL for you - it's your responsibility to prevent that, then it's a serious problem.

    Hell, the problem's compounded if your neighbour starts using the seeds and you want to go for organic certification.

    All Scotland really needs to do is change the laws a little bit and say legal agreements are not conveyed by living things. So you can impose license agreements on farmers that agree to buy your product, but if they spill your product elsewhere, then not only is all legal protection void on the spilled product, any other IP protection carried on that product cannot be enforced. So your neighbour's seed ending up on your crop is yours free and clear.