The mass development of genetically modified crops risks causing the world's worst environmental disaster, The Prince of Wales has warned. By Jeff Randall.
- The Prince of Wales: 'If that is the future, count me out'
- George Pitcher: Prince Charles pits faith against GM crops
In his most outspoken intervention on the issue of GM food, the Prince said that multi-national companies were conducting an experiment with nature which had gone "seriously wrong".
The Prince, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Telegraph, also expressed the fear that food would run out because of the damage being wreaked on the earth's soil by scientists' research.
He accused firms of conducting a "gigantic experiment I think with nature and the whole of humanity which has gone seriously wrong".
"Why else are we facing all these challenges, climate change and everything?".
Relying on "gigantic corporations" for food, he said, would result in "absolute disaster".
"That would be the absolute destruction of everything... and the classic way of ensuring there is no food in the future," he said.
"What we should be talking about is food security not food production - that is what matters and that is what people will not understand.
"And if they think its somehow going to work because they are going to have one form of clever genetic engineering after another then again count me out, because that will be guaranteed to cause the biggest disaster environmentally of all time."
Small farmers, in particular, would be the victims of "gigantic corporations" taking over the mass production of food.
"I think it's heading for real disaster," he said.
"If they think this is the way to go....we [will] end up with millions of small farmers all over the world being driven off their land into unsustainable, unmanageable, degraded and dysfunctional conurbations of unmentionable awfulness."
The Prince of Wales's forthright comments will reopen the whole debate about GM food.
They will put him on a collision course with the international scientific community and Downing Street - which has allowed 54 GM crop trials in Britain since 2000.
His intervention comes at a critical time. There is intense pressure for more GM products, not fewer, because of soaring food costs and widespread shortages.
Many scientists believe GM research is the only way to guarantee food for the world's growing population as the planet is affected by climate change.
They will be dismayed by such a high profile and controversial contribution from the Prince of Wales at such a sensitive time.
The Prince will be braced for the biggest outpouring of criticism from scientists since he accused genetic engineers of taking us into "realms that belong to God and God alone" in an article in the Daily Telegraph in 1998.
In the interview the Prince, who has an organic farm on his Highgrove estate, held out the hope of the British agricultural system encouraging more and more family run co-operative farms.
When challenged over whether he was trying to turn back the clock, he said: "I think not. I'm terribly sorry. It's not going backwards. It is actually recognising that we are with nature, not against it. We have gone working against nature for too long."
The Prince of Wales cited the widespread environmental damage in India caused by the rush to mass produce GM food.
"Look at India's Green Revolution. It worked for a short time but now the price is being paid.
"I have been to the Punjab where you have seen the disasters that have taken place as result of the over demand on irrigation because of the hybrid seeds and grains that have been produced which demand huge amounts of water.
"[The] water table has disappeared. They have huge problems with water level, with pesticide problems, and complications which are now coming home to roost.
"Look at western Australia. Huge salinisation problems. I have been there. Seen it. Some of the excessive approaches to modern forms of agriculture."
He said that the scientists were putting too much pressure on nature.
"If you are not working with natural assistance you cause untold problems. which become very expensive and very difficult to undo.
It places impossible burdens on nature and leads to accumulating problems which become more difficult to sort out."
In a keynote speech last year the Prince of Wales warned that the world faces a series of natural disasters within 18 months unless a £15 billion action plan is agreed to save the world's rain forests.
He has set up his own rain forest project with 15 of the world's largest companies, environmental and economic experts, to try to find ways to stop their destruction.
Only two weeks ago British GM researchers lobbied ministers for their crops to be kept in high-security facilities or in fields at secret locations across the country to prevent them from being attacked and destroyed.
They spoke out after protesters ripped up crops in one of only two GM trials to be approved in Britain this year.
Scientists claim the repeated attacks on their trials are stifling vital research to evaluate whether GM crops can reduce the cost and environmental impact of farming and whether they will grow better in harsh environments where droughts have devastated harvests.
Wow. Prince Charles, son of insane eugenicist Prince 'Virus' Phillip, actually says something good. He should do some more good and tell his dad to go choke on something.
A World Bank retiree, I have, since 1967, been involved in Agricultural development in Africa. Prince Charles statement about gmos and their huge risks for the world food security and food safety is 100% right. All independant and honorable researchers, engineers, leading farmers and decent politicians should fully support his statement. And what would be the credibility and future of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)if its experts do not make same honest position known to the world? Go well. Uncle Jacques.
Myth: "We need GM foods to feed the world" Myth: "GM increases yield" Myth: "GM is good for the environment" Myth: "There is no evidence that GM foods are harmful" Forget the myths and face the facts: GM peas caused lung damage to mice. GM potatoes caused lesions in organs of rats. GM food brought about premature deaths in the offspring of rats. GM Bt cotton crops in India, and the pesticides created to be used with them, led to failure of 80% of crops in four years and to the suicide of thousands of the farmers growing them - full story at Lobbywatch.org Cross pollination with natural crops is having a bad affect on insects and on the behaviour and lives of bees, and polluting their honey. GM DNA is not completely destroyed in the processing of food and can be found in meat, milk and cheese from animals fed on GM products. The only way to avoid this at the moment is to eat organic food. GM is good for growing Super weeds, which are resistant to pesticides and are now proving to be a huge problem for farmers growing GM crops. Start doing some research and you will uncover many more problems caused by GM foods.
I beleive that food is already created perfect by nature as God intended to provide the essential vital nutrients that are uniquely suited to our human bodies. Ironically science creates and encourages population increase by assistance with fertility - then tries to manipulate nature in other ways to sustain it??? Science also is a Godly gift and should be used for exploration not manipulation. I beleive that Prince Charles is making very valid and important comments. Perhaps scientists are really concerned only with having there names noted for their work and acheivement- but thats not going to go down in history if they have already ruined the future!
I'm sorry - but this is clearly another emotive argument where fact and science are overwhelmed by populist rhetoric. Even my local butcher has jumped on the bus - "hormone free chicken" on the front window no less. Never mind the fact that chickens have not been fed hormones in Australia for over 40 years (antibiotics yes/ hormones no). Still it must be of some comfort to those mothers who worry about their puberty threshold of their daughters - as they merrily go shopping for their soy milk and tofu !!!!!
Thank you Prince Charles for standing up for non-GMO. It is unconscionable for any single entity, much less BioTech companies (that have not been forthright in their claims) have total control of the world's food supply. Doesn't anyone think that a few gigantic companies should have control of 90% of the world's food crop seeds is obscene and dangerous? There is massive evidence, evidence that has been suppressed, that some GMOs cause great harm both to people and the environment. Do not, under any circumstances, think that just because the US FDA has "approved" something that it is safe. Please read some of the other links that are mentioned in other replies. Educate yourself before you believe all the propaganda that the biotech companies & their agents tell you. My family here in the USA has been in farming all their lives.
Genetically modified seed has to be purchased from the seed suppliers - what third world farmer can afford to buy genetically modified seed. Does the seed subesquently breed true to its modified form? We could end up with a situation where 'normal' seed is a rarity. Who holds seed 'banks' and what happens if modified crops fail and there is not enough unmodified 'normal' seed to start again?
One thousand million lives saved in India, Africa, and Mexico by 1976 can't be wrong. Unless, that is of course, Prince Charles believes that their lives just weren't worth it. What about all of you? I'm going to stick with the numbers of lives saved on this one. Long live King Norman Borlaug!
God save the queen. Please!!
The Windsors’ Global Food Cartel: Instrument for Starvation http://www.larouchepub.com/other/1995/2249_windsor_food.html
I am strongly against GM. I utterly support the Prince of Wales in what he says. I used to work on a training farm for Ugandan farmers in Streatley, Berks, where they learned about strainable and organic agriculture till the base moved to Uganda, and there I picked up and was strengthened in knowing about the fallacy of GM feeding the masses. I endorse what the Beetle's late Guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi always taught: that GM is a great evil that we don't properly understand now. In fact there is plenty evidence of crop contamination. I used to be proud of the UK's stance in opposition to many other countries. I sincerely hope from the bottom of my heart that this government does not let me down in this now. Good for you Prince Charles! We must unite against the big GM companies. So much is at stake for our planet. Yours sincerely, Alison Clark
Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand within it. What ever he does to the fabric of life, he does to himself. -Chief Seattle.
We cannot even find effective -longterm-pesticides to headlice-we are back to more natural products to fight this agelong nuisance-why!-Because insects rapidly modify themselves. This has been seen in cases of GM crops which proliferate the pest problem when GM -resistant crops are introduced! They are not pest resistant for long-to the contrary more sinister strains develope!! GM crops are not the answer-they are the selfish way forward for Godless minds, and likely the absolute downfall of mankind not its saviour. God help us. Continuing these experiments go against the vast majority-to the extent scientists want to plant the Gm crops in secret locations-tis a vile betrayal of the vast majority, of common sense, of political choice and democracy in the wider public, and even of morality! Of any God etc
Prince Charles is quite correct. The worrying aspect is that UK Government sponsored research at a UK University that has proved that GM can cause irrepairable damage has been covered up. The other worrying aspect is that solutions are not being supported by government nor other UK university research who seem to have been bought by the multi national agenda. It is very sad that all this can be solved quite simply.
Canadians and Americans have been silent about the dangers of GM food because we have been kept in a deliberate media blackout regarding peer reviewed research. Coupled with a numbing assault by the purveyors of processed food (hail King Corn!) to never question the food on the shelf. Now we are questioning the food in the fields. We are in grave danger. Please see nongmoproject.org.
I agree wholeheartedly with Prince Charles. Simple yet sophisticated techniques have been designed that harness and multiply the power of natural processes to provide sustainable abundance for humanity. This system is called Permaculture. For an example of what it can do I suggest that you view the video clip "Greening the Desert" on YouTube. The individuals and organizations around our earth that are spreading this knowledge are generally unknown and under-funded. I'm willing to bet that over a 5-year period using permaculture techiques I could produce 3-5 times the quantity of high quality food calories while increasing soil quality compared with the results of "green revolution" farming processes. In addition, the permaculture farm would become more productive and require fewer inputs of fertilizer and labor over time.
Arguments on GM agriculture are peppered with logical fallacies: appeal to consequences of belief, appeal to emotion, appeal to novelty, appeal to ridicule, circumstantial ad hominem, misleading vividness, personal attack, poisoning the well, post hoc, red herring, burden of proof. Has no one the courage or ability to organize on a high level a public debate between speakers who are free of interest and have respect for the opponent?
Prince Charles supports one of the basic principles of genetic science- inbreeding produces bad results. This man is so abysmally ignorant that he could be a member of the George Bush cabinet. If I were British, I would be a republican. We would already be in trouble without GM foods and the only hope for feeding a world with 12 to 20 billion people is GM. For a rational discussion of this issue, google the term "Dr. Norman Borlaug" and get the opinion of a Nobel Prize winner who actually knows something about food supply. If you are really industrious, download and listen to this rational discussion of the topic http://skeptoid.com/audio/skeptoid-4112.mp3 Thank you for taking the time to think. The Prince is too busy.
Meanwhile the government who criticizes his statement support biofuels and deplete poor countries of basic food sources.
Prince Charles is completely ignorant of the fact that humans have been breeding "genetically" for centuries. As long as we have been selecting plants and animals based on our personal preferences we have been changing "genetically modifying" those organisms rather than allowing nature to do it. Prince Charles must be completely ignorant of this fact or there is something serious wrong with his mind. Clearly, royalty is no guarantee of intelligence (one notes he also expunges the virtues of homeopathy as well). GM modification is much more scientifically rigorous now and a much more exact than he way we have been breeding animals and plants for thousands of years. Activists must accept the consequences of denying this promising field of research - more people will die. And it won't be anyone from the wealthy western nations, those who die will be our third world cousins who can't find foof to feed their starving kids. It is easy to sit in a palace with the whole world kissing your feet and then spread misinformation that will ultimately cost the lives of those less fortunate. Prince Charles is therefore thoroughly irresponsible and needs to take a Science 101 course before stirring up the easily led among us.
I applaud debate but debates must be based on facts not hysteria. GM food is as safe as anything else (if it wasnt all the Americans would be suing someone as they have been eating it for 15 years - that means there is no evidence (really there is no hard science evidence supporting dangers of GM)) GM research is mostly conducted by Scientists trying to make the world a better place not by big business (e.g. increasing fibre content of wheat, increasing Omega 3 levels in plants). There is nothing "natural" about non GM, intensive breeding, artificial incemenation, fertiliser are all non-natural- no food we eat would have survived in nature. GM is a tool not a solution - lets allow different solutions to solve the problem. BTW Nature moves genes, GM just does it on a quicker timescale, there is nothing perverse in that (putting your tomatoes in a greenhouse is speeding up Nature!). Organic, so called Natural choices are a lifestyle choice and should not be imposed on the rest of us - I would expect these sorts of comments from do-gooding Guardian readers....
He's probably right. The Mayans and other great crop-based civilisations wiped themselves out by similar experimentations and over-taxing of the land and water around them. The mysterious vanishings of other major populations could be attributed to similar causes. Certainly, man has created more deserts than he has jungles - think about it. Charles has had more resources and time to study all this than I havebut even I know enough history and more than enough scientists to know it's a fiat that the threeheaded science- govt-business hydra needs bioethical checks and balances and holistic thinktank overviewers.
HRH Prince Charles should be encouraged, & We owe him a huge debt of gratitude. We claim the right of Free Speech, yet 'WE' assume the right that is NOT ours when He speaks of things that affect our very existence. These are things that he cares passionately about.
May I also comment on a reader's comment that GM is no different than what nature does, moving genes around or inserting genes as evolution marches on. This is not entirely the case because with GM genes, not only are useful genes inserted, but various potentially harmful marker genes, some which confer antibiotic resistance, are also inserted, as a tool for picking out modified organisms from the rest of them. While no one ever thought that by eating such a product any harm would come of it, we really should do some real studies to find out if our instincts regarding the safety of GM are correct of not, designing rigorous studies for this purpose.
I studied plant genetics at the University of California at Berkeley with many professors who also had their own biotech companies. Later I got a masters in public health studying environmental health at Tulane University. The science behind the GM scenes is fascinating and may I say that plants are far more interesting than animals when studying genetics. In the end though, I decided that nature is more efficient, more diverse and knows what she's doing 100 times better than we do. GM not only jeopardizes the lives of farmers and the environment (which of course will eventually affect all of us), but there is some evidence that GM foods may be immediately harmful for human and animal health. Check out this website, http://www.seedsofdeception.com. I haven't reviewed the literature myself, but my family who are livestock breeders have heard anecdotal evidence of the damage GM may do to animal reproductive health. The bottom line is, don't mess with mother nature.
At last, a weighty voice weighs in. Thank you Prince for again placing the GM food debate squarely in the public sphere. This is one debate that should definitely be had!
Thank you Prince Charles for taking on this cause. I believe you are correct regarding the rain forest and GM foods. The opposition will be great due to the amounts of money at stake and there is need of a great champion to help turn this. It is your time Sir!
What exactly is Charles's scientific qualifications to make such pronouncements? Other than have won the birth lottery of being a royal? It's like getting foreign policy advice from my 5 year old daughter.
With the exception of wild animals and vegetation all of our food has been GM'd. I challenge anyone to find a none GM'd food much less live off of it. I dare say the population of the world today would be in the 10s of millions rather than billions if it were not for GM. Of course that is the GM crowd's intent isn't it? It is sad that so many people are being duped on the GM issue.
HRH's statement, at last !! We need to concentrate on creating a naturally abundant, sustainable local economy. This means everyone concentrating on using less energy, by growing our own fruit and vegetables in our own gardens and allotments as much as possible, less pollution, less waste, less plastic, more natural materials, more renewable energy, better public transport etc etc. When will we wake up and realise that we need to work with nature not against it.
...Relying on "gigantic corporations" for food, he said, would result in "absolute disaster"... I couldn't agree more. We all need to take more responsibility for what we put into our mouths and I for one, don't want to put my trust in scientists, governments and profit seeking corporations on this matter. Getting back in touch with nature is the only way that makes any sense and thank God Prince Charles uses his position to advance this case.
"Relying on 'gigantic corporations' for food, he said, would result in 'absolute disaster'" Anti-GM is just another trojan horse for anti-market, like the global warming hype. The worst corporations in the world are run by governments, Charles.
Most of the media, to say nothing of "the usual suspects", have got the wrong end of the stick here. The situation highlighted by the Prince is the introduction of large scale agricultural methods with serious technical and sociological consequences worldwide. Only multinationals can operate this environment; the advent of GM and the marketing structures that follow ("to buy my seeds you must undertake to buy my fertiliser etc.") gives them enormous new power to expand and exacerbate this situation. That the buzz-word "GM" is involved, rather than any other comparable advance, is irrelevant. Good on Prince Charles, say I, and please, people, think before you latch on to this week's catch phrase, (gratefully?) close down your thinking and "rush off in auto".
My own MP Dr Brian Iddon is pro GM, and when I have presented factual scientific information about the dangers he has simply dismissed it as nothing more then hysterical rantings. I am so glad that Prince Charles is making the points he has in public. Whatever his failings may be, this championing of natural food and publicity of GM dangers is a big plus in my eyes.
Thank heaven for Prince Charles, but has his warning come soon enough. It is 'the tip of the iceberg' more and more unexplained illnesses and diseases are threatening the planet daily. What he says about tampering with nature is I believe so true. It is coming back to hit us and one day, I hope not too late, everyone will admit that he was right.
I wholeheartedly agree with Prince Charles. We need more people like him to stand up to these corporations which are ruining our planet and exploiting people and animals to feed their lust for greed and power. Kudos to Prince Charles.
I totally agree with Prince Charles. Of course he can tell his opinion, he must tell his opinion because the future of earth depends also by this kind of opinions.
Prince Charles offers only a halfway measure. Why does he not suggest banning the infernal internal combustion machine and return to only horse and oxen power? On the plus side, the animals will produce much manure with which to fertilize crops. On the negative, the fertilizer will stink and won't support enough crops to feed more than a few million people. Say goodbye to your friends and neighbors. I've been enjoying GM maize/corn for the past half-dozen years in the US, and it's 400 times better than what I ate as a child, when insects ruined much of the crop. On second thought, listen to Charles. I very much like to have a corn (maize) of the cob for 25 cents apiece or less. Go ahead and starve, my Anglo friends. I very much like and appreciate geneticaaly modified crops. Mother Nature DOESN'T always know best
We've been in the cattle business for nearly 100 years, here in west texas. We have had mixed results with GMO corn feed and it's dropped our birth rate by double digits in some years. We've gone back to grass feeding because the beef tastes better, sells easier, and we're not always fretting about the result of passing down GM to our customers, usually without their knowledge. Most people here in the USA don't even realize that most of what we eat here comes from GMO corn...either in feed or food.
Want to know just what kind of company is genetically modifying your food? Have a look at this: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Monsanto
As a second point, NO technology can ever prove it is 100% safe. NONE. You can not prove a negative. EVER. You can only build evidence to the level of a reasonable level of doubt. So to say GM carries a risk with it and therefor it shouldnt be adopted, this is a worthless argument as no technology can live up to that demand. By that logic a person can't do anything/eat anything/ develop any new technology/medical procedure/ nor can anything old be relied upon. Its a worthless point, and one which Greenpeace is sadly wrong about (its their stated position). Most of what greenpeace says I agree with, this is certainly NOT one of them.
People, please, PLEASE educate yourselves about how we have obtained 99% of all our food crops. The history of these foods would enlighten people to the pros and cons of GM foods. Virtually all our fruits and vegetables were created by taking barely similar wild types and first breeding them for the traits we wanted. Then, within the past 100 years we have developed foods by exposing them to radiation and mutagenizing chemicals like cobalt-60 etc. This was done to cause random mutations in the genome of the food which were then screened for traits we desired. This is how we got cauliflower from broccoli for example. This of course caused all sorts of mutations we were unaware of. But these foods are now grown as "organic". This is MUCH MUCH riskier than modern GM techniques. I am not saying all GM is good, there of course exists many possibilities for abuse/greed and mistakes, however, the technology is FAR more exact and controlled than the technology it is replacing. I could go on for quite a while as to the many pros of GM, and I admit there have been some bad choices. Please Please educate yourselves. Search Pubmed.org for real scientific articles on the matter. There are many other trustworthy sources as well, and many that can not be trusted. For a great example of the great things GM food can be, look up Golden Rice. My best wishes to you all.
Charles is right, again, on this one! Genetic corporate crops are the same as invasions on sovereign nations via pollination. Fact, Monsanto has been growing crops in Iraq with genetic seed and the Iraq government has outlawed natural seed, part of the US restoration of Iraq. In our midwest section of our country (United States), organic fields are being pollinated by genetic crops and the crops are being "claimed" as corporate property of Monsanto. We in Seattle have organic "pea patchs" and are part of a multi-city, US grass roots effort to rid the corporate 'franken food" genetic genocide. Much like our now national grass roots climate change policy movement that started here. A new administration, a new policy? Stay tuned. Until then, thank you Charles, you have true leadership genetics and ability! Cordially Paul Byron Crane Landscape Architect
Control is not good anyway that you look at it. The things that are going on in the world prove that the Bible has been right. Wars,disease,food shortages,the loss of value of the dollar, the one bank of the Euro,and Holy War. Wheteher you belive or not Jesus is coming!
"I totally agree with Prince Charles. he appears to be the only one with any common sense on this matter. Posted by Richard" Well, "Richard": I guess you've never been hungry, now, have you. I thought not. Ooooohhh... GM foods MIGHT do soemthing bad (that we're not sure of), so all those starving people out there... SORRY, we're not 100.00% sure it's safe. Safe for what? We don't know, but YOU can't have it. Excuse me while I eat my pasta with truffle salad. Love, Richard.
I could not agree more with the Prince on this issue - I hope by raising this issue the ban on GM crops spreads from the EU to more continents - what the world needs is more small farmers in business and less reliance on petrochemicals that are making our supermarkets so expensive. Also GM crops (mainly soya) are replacing forests and contributing to global warming.
The scientific case against GM crops is strongly presented by Jeffrey Smith in his two books SEEDS OF DECEPTION and GENETIC ROULETTE - MUST READ MATERIAL. http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/Home/index.cfm
Hooray for Prince Charles!!!
For the first time I can remember. I agree with Prince Charles! Gigantic corporations controlling our entire food supply is entirely stupid. We must always be able to feed ourselves or we will deserve to die. Elwood in LA
I agree with the Prince of Wales and I am so glad that he has spoken out on this issue. You cannot try and outdo God in anything. It is disaster to do so!
Right on, brother royal.
i totally agree with prince charles. man will cause their own destruction here on earth and it is happening now and it will get worse.
well said prince charles!
Prince Charles is the continental version of Al Gore. It is not a complement.
Who are we to believe, scientists who have have spent years researching this issue or an out of touch monarch. Give me a break.
Disaster??? What is he talking about? I've been growing the "dreaded" GM crops for over ten years now and have yet to see any thing other than good food being delivered to market and money going into my bank account. You guys in fantacyland(urban Europe) have hamstrung your farmers with ridiculous regulations while the rest of us are feeding the world. Oh well more market share for me.
No GMO company or pro-GMO scientist can rightfully claim that it has been proven beyond any doubt that GMO food for humans are without dangers for health.
I totally agree! The Prince of Wales is 100% correct. It is a New World Order designed to control population. And GM foods are not healthy--over time there will be cronic illness.
I can't believe it - a member of the Royal family (with the exception of Diana) is actually doing something good for the masses. Their attitude is usually the MASSES are ASSES and we will treat them as such. ART in USA
GM food might or might not be in our best interest. However, having global corporations control the food is not.
If there is a real shortage of farm output- why do we have set-aside? The real problem is economic- shortage of knowledge and investment in natural production. GM's safety has not and cannot be tested for spread of pollen over realistic distances, or for long-term effects on health
PRINCE CHARLES is absolutely correct and I commend him for his courage. I am totally with him on this issue and I, too, am concerned about the outcome which the 'scientists' refuse to contemplate. Let us listen to him and follow his lead NOW.
Yes, he is right. What advantages do GM crops have? From listening to the pro-GM people we should accept that GM is our saviour. I haven't heard a good argument for GM crops in the media (only tut tut about 'vandalising' the test crops). Are there advantages? From what I understand they can be more productive (but wasteful of power) and are more resistant to herbicides and pesticides, so we go the American way of wiping out all life except the crop (result, the Americans have to buy bees from Australia as their own are dying). We have to live with nature not fight it
I'm so glad Prince Charles has taken this stand. Someone needs to that has the influence to make it work. Thank You!!!
What (other than haveing the right parents) makes this guys opion more important than the guy who rides on the bus with me every day and talks to people who are not there?
Yes, HRH is absolutely within his rights to express his opinion. I feel the media are usually heavily biased against Charles, spurred on by politicians who also dislike him for his plain speaking and open criticism of bad government and reckless corporate practices. He has environmental expertise acquired over decades, has pushed for British involvement in many environmentally friendly technologies, and does a lot of work behind the scenes for Britain as a whole (especially for British soldiers returning from war). Britain as a whole would do well to look into what Charles actually does, rather than listen to the criticism coming from politicians via the media, and listen to their future King.
If this point has been made before then I apologize, but: Why is it that virtually all those against GM food products are well-fed westerners?
Typical liberal poppy-cock. His evidense for all of his wild claims is that he has traveled the earth and seen things. What the idiot fails to mention, is that without all of the science that has been devoted to food production, the world would be starving RIGHT NOW!
Prince Charles is absolutely right about the disaster that may come in the move to GM food. It is a great pity that the only voice of reason is a royal and not anybody in our supposed government. Where are our leaders in this debate? perhaps they are waiting for something from the GM companies. you no the odd incentive you know! Good for Prince Charles. Keep at it!
As noted GE seeds are being produced which require less water. Not sure what the Prince is talking about when he says there are GE crops which require more water. But GE crops benefits are to allow less water, quicker harvests and no pesticides. What is the Prince basing his theory this can't be done via GE on?
For once I agree with the prince.
Good grief. Humans have been genetically modifying food for centuries but thanks to Mendel figured out what was actually happening. The difference between then and now is that we don't have to polinate cucumber flowers. peas, and cornstalks by hand and write out a punnet square to track results. The socialist movement wants nothing more than to send us back to the stone age. Oh wait, the UK has an unchecked flood of aliens from the middle east ravaging their culture. I guess it won't take long before they are back to the stone age.
It is interesting to see that many people disagreeing with HRH do so in a thoroughly rude manner. Being concerned about questionable technology is not anti-science- it is prudent. A lot of good science is showing that GM is by no means problem free and the Prince is right and brave to question it. I have a degree in Chemistry from Imperial College and I would be really, really cautious about GM technology
It strikes me that Prince Charles' objections to GM crops are based much more in the realm of religion (man-made changes to God's creation being 'unnatural' and intrinsically wrong and dangerous) than on any scietific research or reasoning. He, and many others commenting here, criticise GM crops as 'unnatural' - in that case all food crops are unnatural, they have all been selectively bred over many hundreds or thousands of years leading to large changes in their genetic structure. Genetic modification allows us to speed this process up. For example in order to make a version of a crop better suited to salty conditions we could spend hundreds of years selectively breeding strains of the crop that already show some promise, slowly strengthening the favoured ability. Alternatively we can identify the gene or genes responsible and genetically modify a strain of the crop to include this gene. Both routes lead us to a similar end point in terms of the genetic structure of the crop and the results, the latter is considerably faster.
Thank goodness we have someone like Prince Charles to stand up and say these things and get noticed. We cannot play God - this is a lesson that all scientists must learn one day and lets hope its not the hard way.
Monsanto=Frankenfood
Don't mess with Mother Nature!!!
It appals me to see so many fields in this country left fallow and uncultivated. We have a small farm in our locality which is unproductive. The local council employ someone to manage the small number of fields to maintain it as a wild life sanctuary, nothing more.It could help sustain the local area with traditionally grown crops as it used to do in years gone by.
So there will be 9 billion people on the planet by 2050. How on earth are we going to reduce carbon emisions if this is the case. Prince Charles is right of course and any sane person except perhaps a politcion can see that. Labours answer to global warming is to let a few million undisirables into the country to increase our carbon footprint and have a taxing spree on everyone else to pay for it. After all we can import crops which Brussels won't let us grow.
Oh Oh! Genetically modified foods are going to stop the Sun from shinning and cause the Earth to be snuffed out like a burnt match!
The anti-GM folks are, at best, stunningly ignorant. At worst, they are viciously dishonest. Virtually no reputable scientific evidence exists to show GM foods are environmentally unsafe. On the contrary, what GM foods allow is crops to be grown with less water, fewer herbicides, fewer pesticides, and with higher yields. Once again, as it has throughout the centuries, science is being attacked by ignorant peasants with pitchforks.
Wow is all I can say. The green revolution fed 600 million extra people in India from 1960 until today. A disaster eh? I suspect those people have a different take on it. Six billion people have put strain on the planet, no doubt. However to advocate a system of agriculture that can only possibly feed four billion people begs the question. Which two billion people are expendable?
I agree, he is absolutely correct...
Thank you thank you thank you thank you. Please keep up the fight against GM Charles, we all need you, everyone of us, and all the creatures we share the planet with.
Here is a good reason to get rid of the Royalty. Some fear mongering crazy no one would listen too, if it weren't for his genetic makeup. He's just afraid people will wake up and create a better, genetically modified aristocracy. Too bad the divine right of kings is a genetic gift, and not a benefit of accomplishment.
Rummaging down through the comments, the assertion that "without GM crops millions would be dead" keeps recurring. One comment even claims 'millions' of lives saved in Honduras alone! Now im not a scientific expert but I think its safe to say that whatever the pros or coms of GM crops .. it is most likely the case that approximately ZERO lives have been saved. Also many of the comments attack the POW for having the temerity to offer an opinion - which is hardly the issue here. Finally one must ask "what is the motivation?" for companies like Monsanto. Is it an altruistic motivation to feed the world and cure world hunger - my arse it is. Four words suffice here "Profit at any Cost".
Absolutly right. Well said.
Absolutly right. Well said.
Prince Charles is absolutely right and has been extremely brave.
So, GM crops are causing climate change; strange, thought it was supposed to be CO2. RW
We all need to read between the lines in this message ... the reality is that we are overpopulating our planet and thus abusing our natural resources. Until all of our nations more aggressively address this, the GM issue and other related population induced issues are only going to get worse.
I am a grandmother, currently living in Australia. It is heartening to hear Prince Charles having the courage to speak out on this vital issue. OF COURSE he is right. And what is more, he is proving his point by organic gardening himself. We should stop GM food now !
Good old Prince Charles, although I have always liked him and I aggree with most things he says - but not all. However, on this issue I think he is spot on and to those who say he is not a scientist, I bet he has a far better research team informing him that you.
Thats great congratulations!!! We need natural food and not experimental stuff. Nobody in this world has decompiled/disassembled our system, our body, our natur! So we can not do so experimental things where we have no plan and not the right and not the appropriate knowledge about them. We dont know the destination of this products. The first false step was to cross/traverse/cruise our plant's/vegetables/fruits. The next step to edge away from a natural life and to save our future is the GM food! rEGARDS tHE rEVERSE eNGINEERING cIRCLE!
He's right, but then who's to blame? the system pushes companies to compete or die, the big one taking over the small is what Marx foresaw as the critical point of capitalism and what was before theory is coming to be i reality now.
Prince Charles is correct on GM.
The research into GM technology is not about making 'huge profits' but about feeding an ever growing world population and cultivating areas that desperately need sustainable crops.Some folk should consider the price being asked of the starving of this world in order to satisfy their more comfortable moral superiority. There will be a price to pay, there always is as the destruction of the rain forest has shown, but what we must consider is whether that price is worth paying, I couldn't turn my back on a starving child so I am happy that research should continue. Population control is impractical where it matters most due to large families being economically necessary to survive at all. Who the hell are we anyway to dictate to others about their procreational habits? @Say Goodbye@ @ 10.46. You are confused, big brother population control on one hand and freedom and civil liberties on the other, which is it? Modern needs are obviously not being met by 'what has worked for millions of years', haven't been for a long time now or did I imagine Live Aid.
GM is also very wrong! Gm should pay farmers if natural cross fertilisation occurs but as it is now the farmers pay GM if nature does this by itself? GM has no right to shut down a farmers crop. If GM can't contain their own tainted crop then they should not grow it.
Whilst I agree with the Prince, I wish he had said something about controlling the World population. At my great age I shall not be around to see what a terrible place it will be. Britain is already too crowded for any comfort
Why is it that so many folks want to believe the obviously untrue? Flat earther syndrome, neo-Marxist terror of 'rural idiocy' mixed in with brute smug greed. Considered cruelties, sarcasm and bullying the truth teller does not change the fact that, yet again, Prince Charles is absolutely right on these issues. Blessings on all who dare to speak out nowadays. Double blessings on all who are hanging on by their bloodied fingernails to smallholdings in this God-forsaken Kingdom. Triple blessings on those who in the despair from being broken by the Global Corporation/UK Government Quango Inc, lost their homelands and have taken the Roman way out of here...
HM Prince Charles is RIGHT while strongly warning the world about the environmental disasters in promoting GM crops. Environmental intellectuals and the scientific community of eminence, should jointly evaluate all long term consequences of this issue and save the nature and the mankind. I heartily appreciate HM Prince for his kind and good gesture on this issue.
It's very easy to see which of the posters here have any scientific knowledge whatsoever and those who don't. The ones who praise Prince Charles are the latter and in doing so demonstrate clearly that they have as much clue as Charles himself.
A sane voice in a crazy world!
HM Prince Charles is RIGHT while strongly warning the world about the environmental disasters in promoting GM foods. Environmental intellectuals and the scientific community should jointly evaluate all long term consequences of this issue and save the nature and mankind. I heartily appreciate HM Prince for his kind and good gesture on this issue.
To what extent is low agricultural productivity in developing or underdeveloped countries due to forms of land ownership that disadvantage the farmers? In other words, is rapacious landlordism at least partly to blame?
The genetically unmodified Prince, Charles is patently wrong in his anti GM crops stance. The majority of the concerned scientific community endorse the necessity and safety of preparing genetically for increased food production in view of perhaps a 9 Billion World population within a generation.
Of course he is not only mistaken but wrong. He asks, "Why else are we facing all these challenges, climate change and everything?". Answer: because of the variability of the natural world, caused by its myriad complexities all operating on different timescales; some instantaneous, some lasting millions of years. Many of these factors are hidden in the oceans, and so are easily ignored by us. That does not mean I would allow free reign to the big companies - they are all right but you have to watch them.
Nobody is asking what happens when the shareholder driven corporations control the food chain via GM seeds. Would they abuse that control?? Surely not!!!. Spot on Charlie, keep it up.
I never heard such tripe from such a collection of modern Luddites! Is that all you Brits are about anymore? Back to the caves? Are we going to have to bail you out, along with the wimps across the channel... AGAIN?
Then reduce your population by one third. And every other population on the planet since free range chicken, loopy communal agrarian techniques and organic weed control are worse than ethanol as a solution fossil fuels. So pick who you want to get rid of.
If Charles wants to be King he can't speak out on political issues. If he wants to speak out on political issues - which should be his right - then he has to renounce the throne and reject the monarchy. The neutrality of the monarch is a core principle of the monarchy - if Charles isn't willing to abide by that central idea then the monarchy must go. It's not good enough to say he's not yet King - for all we know he could be King tomorrow.
He's an alarmist.
Can you spare Prince Charles to come to the U.S. and spread his sane views for awhile. We need him!
Dear Editor, Daily Telegraph and Jeff Randall, 'Saving the Planet' or saving our species ? I'm prompted to write after hearing Jeff Randall use the phrase 'Saving the Planet' in his interview with James Naughtie on Radio 4 this morning. The planet has been around for some 4 billion years and our species a mere 100,000 years or so. It seems to me that if the stable conditions which have favoured the evolution of our species are disturbed, the planet might not return to a suitable equilibrium for a while, perhaps millions or even tens or hundreds of millions of years. That is not necessarily a major problem for the planet but it could mean that our species does not survive another hundred thousand years, nor even one thousand years - dare we contemplate it, perhaps not even 100 yea