1) Is this good? Why?
2) Why is it allowed in the US but not the UK? Is this good? Why?
3) Why do you think that researchers would not be allowed to taste the potatoes?
4) How could this help world hunger?
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26189722
This is my post for the week;
ReplyDeleteI believe that these new Genetically Modified (GM) potatoes could be a ground breaking source of food for countries in need. From what I can tell, the GM potatoes have larger crop yields and little to no effect on their environment. I believe these potatoes are great for out world as they will help compensate for the 6 million tonnes of potatoes lost to blight each year in Europe.
Although there is little information on whether or not the GM potato will have a harmful effect on human health in the long run, there is also no information stating there will be. As the crop is easy to grow and now even easier to maintain, it will help cut cost for European farmers who spread fungicides up to 15 times a season to prevent potato blight. It makes you wonder, if the farmers are spreading that much fungicide on their crops, how does that effect our environment? Well probably more than if you just tweak the genetics of the potato a little. Being able to out run the blight will save farmers millions and help make food cheaper and more accessible.
As for the USA getting to use the GM potatoes first its not surprising. The agricultural laws in the USA are less strict than that of the EU's and therefore allows them to grow experimentally. This could be worrisome for Canadian farmers as the US market for Potatoes will grow, taking away from our exporting power.
Lastly I believe this will play a pretty big role and the quest to end world hunger. There will be a 6 million tonne surplus in potatoes from Europe alone leading them to donate foods to the less fortunate countries.
Here is a Cite I found elaborating a little more on the topic:
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/food-drink/scientists-develop-gm-potato-thats-immune-to-irish-famine-fungus-late-blight-30016734.html
When I was reading over the article the idea that the European produced GM potato would likely go to market first in US, then follow and be introduced into the UK 8 years later was very interesting. I think that this speaks poorly of the health standards the US requires before they introduce a product. The UK faces the most blight infections, but will be last to introduce. Interesting.
DeleteThis is my post for the week
ReplyDeleteThe thought of having genetically modified potatoes is for sure shocking and not something you think would be happening.
This is good because the American farmers are going to benefit and get more money, so that means it would be good for the US. However since we don't know the long term effects of genetically modified organisms because they are relatively new, it could be a bad thing. It isn't particularly good for the UK because they won't be getting the same benefits2 for not allowing them. These genetically modified potatoes are not allowed in the UK because the British have made it clear that they don't want them to be sold and bought therefore the farmers do not want to grow them. This is probably a good idea from the UK because we do not know the effects of genetically modified organisms but also they are missing out on money. I'm not sure why the scientists would be banned from eating the potatoes, perhaps because they are unaware of the effects I'm not sure. This could possibly help world hunger because of more genetically modified foods (potatoes) essentially means more food in general thus help people who are starving.
This link further explains the policies on genetically modified organisms in the UK http://www.genewatch.org/sub-568547
I do think that it is very interesting too Julia that the UK together as a population has made it so clear that they don't wan't to introduce genetically modified crops, and the consumers will not buy them either. I think the fact the in the UK to place the products on the shelf they would have to be labelled GM. This is something that I think we as consumers should know, and likely be more educated on.
DeleteI also think it's really interesting to see how the UK won't allow these potatoes all together. I agree that it is also because of the unknown long term effects. At the same time, I don't think this technology will help the poor at all. Its commonly known that genetically modified foods require a lot of technology to produce them. Technology that is almost never available in poorer countries. Also, these industries are businesses so i highly doubt they would sell their food for cheap. Although it would definitely help the poor, I think it's extremely unlikely that they would get access to this technology.
DeleteThis is my weekly post:
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting to encounter an article that covers some of the benefits of GMOs since it’s typically the other way around. From what I’ve gathered, it seems to be primarily negative attention that’s brought to the controversial organism. It seems as if nutritional specialists or essentially anyone prominent in that field try to ward you off from purchasing GMO infused foods because they’re not organic and certainly don’t consist of the same authentic properties as the original, traditionally grown and produced product. This piece in particular proves that it’s not all bad that should be said about GMOs. In fact, they can be considered as the ultimate solution for agricultural diseases such as blight in potatoes. Farmers also found that with the usage of genetics – these potato crops began to double in amount. Arguably, it may not have been the most natural method but I believe that the substantial results make up for that. It should be notable though that this article is slightly bias since they failed to mention whether or not these genetically modified spuds consist of any potential health risks. So with that being said, I’m not sold on the fact that GMOs bare no flaws entirely. I’m aware that these potatoes in particular could potentially possess some long term health threats that the article has failed the shed light on. However, this article had definitely enlightened me on the positives of GMOs and inspired me to look up the other benefits they encompass. For instance, I had no idea that genetically modified foods could be designed to attain higher nutrient content. A phenomenon known in the agriculture industry, as “Golden Rice” is intended to tackle vitamin A deficiency - a common condition in developing countries that leads to blindness and entails higher rates of child mortality and infectious diseases. Studies show that Golden Rice has the ability to decrease the rates of risks linked with vitamin A deficiency by 60%. Inevitably, this is extremely significant since rice is famous for being the principle staple in majority of developing countries. All in all, GMOs may not be the definite explanation to all the world’s food and agricultural adversities but it certainly does have its advantages. To be fair, it also has its disadvantages too. However, I think it’s vital that we take into consideration both the pros and cons of GMOs before purchasing any products that contain them.
Here’s an informative piece that goes into more depth of both the benefits/risks of GMOs:
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php