Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Evidence of genetically engineered genes... is enough to invalidate "organic" status...

Just to clear things up, from reading the article I would say the situation goes something like this:

Organic farmer growing wheat and oats, because he is organic and does not spray herbacide his organic wheat crop would have amongst other weeds some canola. Cross polination of the canola weeds on 70% of his land occurs with the GM pollen. Even if the seeds are not viable to germinate they do contain the Monsanto patented genes and even though the farmer is trying to only harvest his organic wheat and oats he can't guarantee his grains don't have any GM genes on them not matter how small of a contamination.

Don't get me wrong I hate Monsanto and their lack of ethics but it would seem that the organic ceritifiers need to pull their heads in and are probably being deliberatly difficult in this situation to highlight an example of what they see as the dangers of GM crops. I mean its not like the guy is trying to sell organic canola that is contaminated with Monsanto genes is it? surly just washing the wheat would remove any canola contamination?

So you think it's ok for monsanto to contaminate the worlds food sources with their GM products and people should just pull their heads in and put up with it?

I don't see any problem with them being rather specific, if I buy "organic", I don't want any GM contamination of any type within that product. Now if our government had any cojones they would be putting the bans back in place and saving people from unwanted contamination.

I attended a couple of discussions regarding gm crops being grown in WA and petitions were delivered to keep it out, 27000 signatures, thats gotta tell you something. We had the Federation of farmers from the south west, farmers from Canada that spoke at City Farm on the effects on their loss of organic status and a delegation came from Japan, specially to ask that the crops they were purchasing maintained their organic status, cause thats why they buy from us. Apparently not enough good reasons. We knew that contamination was invevitable. The whole point of certification is to guarantee the quality of their food from an organic stand point, to allow any degree of contamination is a load of croc.

[quote="earthbound"]So you think it's ok for monsanto to contaminate the worlds food sources with their GM products and people should just pull their heads in and put up with it?[quote]

I think you are taking liberties with you paraphrasing there EB, that is not what I said, ment or implied at all. For the record I don't think we should put up with any of Monsantos practices, I was only thinking of the poor primary producer who is the one being punished here.

Perhaps I may have not understood your comments exactly Simo, but I don't think the organic rectifiers should be bending things.

I wonder what the farmer actually thinks. See personally if I was in the situation he's in, I wouldn;t be upset with the certifying organization, because they have done what they are meant to do, guarantee the product quality for both grower and end user, and thats what the certification process is about.

Yeah but the farmers product is not contaminated, only his land, so the end user is still getting organic wheat, the grain has no GM genes, it is not like he had a chemical contaminate his crop that was absorbed by the grain.

An analogy could be that you buy organic carrots which you touch with your hand but last week you touched non organic carrots so your organic carrots are no longer organic? even if you peel them?

The idea of organics to me means that the product you are buying is safe, natural and free from contamination, in reality this is what this guy is still producing.

I am against GM crops and would have signed that partition, but what has happened has happened and I doubt that it can be reversed but in the mean time the farmer is being screwed unnecessarily

True Simo.... but with the "land" contiminated.... he can't retain organic certification... and realise the premium price attached to that certification....

And that's what he was saying... that the "organic" crop... was worth about another $5- 800/tonne...

He can't any longer sell it as "organic"....

Yeah, that is the part that sucks, his product hasn't changed and through bureaucracy alone his crop is devalued, I would sue the GM farmers next door and Monsanto as well.

Goddamn evilness. Why can't people see it? Oh it's because they see a $ sign, so they don't see the devil holding it. Any company who "wants to control the worlds food supply" is evil.

And studies seem to suggest the supposed yield benefits of GM crops.... just don't match the hype/expectation....

I think a lot of farmers use it as they can still spray for weed control without killing their crop and then when they are ready they can knock it down with a special version of roundup and straight harvest rather than mow, rake, windrow, pick up/harvest.

I don't think it is the right way to go, nor do like farmers that crop 100% of their farm.

I'll donate $$ to mr Marsh to help him fight the pr!cks we don't need there sh!t in AUS

You can. This site has information on how.

DONE