The lush, glorious wheat pictured here is ripening fast, growing healthily despite not being drenched in industrial-strength pesticides. This is because it has been genetically modified. It produces a pheromone found in mint, which repels aphids naturally.
It’s a beautiful, bucolic scene. But because the crop is GM, it has to be protected from protesters armed with strimmers and flamethrowers. Security men with dogs patrol 24/7 between high concentric steel fences.
GM, of course, remains anathema to Greens, who speak of opening a Pandora’s Box of possible health catastrophes, so capturing the public’s imagination
Read the full story here: The great GM food hysteria: Do you believe eating genetically modified crops is like dining with the devil? No wonder – that’s exactly what apocalyptic eco-zealots want you to think
Additional Resources:
- “Europe should rethink its stance on GM crops,” Nature (PDF)
- “EASAC warns EU policy on GM crops threatens the future of our agriculture,” European Academies Science Advisory Council