Agronomist (Bill Crabtree), You originally claimed that GM crops did not have a patent but now you admit they do (where was your research when you made that statement?). Yes, they do have a patent and the patented progeny is covered by patent law too. Plants are usually covered by a plant breeder right and GM crops should come under the same banner as this PBR patent law is specifically designed to cover plants. Having a patent cover that is not designed for self replicating plants is wrong.

CMV35S is a cauliflower mosaic virus. E-coli is a bacterial invader used in GM. I explained that I don't like virus' and bacteria used in this processes (they are) as I am concerned that mutations are possible. How do we know that playing with bacteria and virus' in DNA will not create more virulent strains or when using cross-kingdom breeding, will give a bridge for bacteria and virus to cross kingdom barriers? Anybody can have an opinion on these things without necessarily being an expert, it’s an opinion, not a scientific paper seeking review.

After contact with Ian Edwards, I recognise "Rebel"s style and considering his major vested interest in this technology, can understand his desperate vehement attitude to anyone in opposition.

Welcome to the increasing group of people with serious concerns that are prepared to stand up for our rights isitreallysafe.

Only genetically modified L-tryptophan caused the problem, not L-tryptophan that was made using GM and the article explains that it could also have been other contaminants so is not the radical anti-GM article the pro-GM activists would prefer us to believe.

The article on the NCF website that caused the upset with the pro-GM activists is: http://www.non-gm-farmers.com/news_details.asp?ID=2393 and a quote:
"The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported on July 11, 1990 that people only got EMS from pills made by Showa Denko, one of the six manufacturers whose L-tryptophan was imported into the U.S. from Japan. Showa Denko’s pills had several unique contaminants that were likely to be responsible for the epidemic. Moreover, the manufacturer was genetically engineering bacteria to produce the L-tryptophan more economically. Genes had been inserted into bacteria’s DNA in order to produce high concentrations of several enzymes used in its production."
I have put further links at the bottom of that article to explain the fors/against debate so that should please the pro-GM activists. I included a semi-quote referencing this site (do you mind isitreallysafe?, was an excellent quote).

But really, I am more interested in the farming issues and the fact that we can't manage to retain our choice to market without contamination if it is introduced and, health wise, we can’t recall a crop if it is found to be a problem.

p.s. To Agronomist (Bill Crabtree): Are you, or your costs paid by Monsanto and Bayer Cropscience to take farmers over to Canada and US?

"Only genetically modified L-tryptophan caused the problem, not L-tryptophan that was made using GM."

This statement by Julie Newman is factually wrong and dangerous: it will continue to mislead people into taking tryptophan which itself is hazardous. I urge you to correct this dangerous advice Julie on your website and update the medical references.

"The article on the NCF website that caused the upset with the pro-GM activists is: http://www.non-gm-farmers.com/news_details.asp?ID=2393 and "

The Jeffrey Smith book cherry picks data - that is it avoids quoting the extensive information available to him that refutes his innacurate speculations about tryptophan. Smith is also out of date on science and evidence about EMS.
I supplied a November 2005 authoritative medical review (linked via my website and quoted there)and its 350 odd references contain the evidence, which I have personally checked, that Jeffrey Smith has censored out of his book.

Smith has no formal medical education, let alone science education, yet Julie Newman relies on him and his Natural Law Party type connections for dangerous medical advice.

\Is it Safe : the link you gave does not mention the November 2005 article in Inflammation Research that I quote.

I remain seriously concerned that Julie Newman seems unwilling to correct inaccurate and dangerous medical advice, harmful even fatal advice that could mislead people to still take tryptophan. I repeat: all sources of tryptophan add to risks of getting EMS disease. Is it safe? -NO.

Smith-and-Garrett2005:

In contrast to early epidemiological evidence offering links between eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS) and microimpurities of l-tryptophan-containing dietary supplements
(LTCDS), this account shows why reliance on a finite impurity from one manufacturer is both unnecessary and insufficient to explain the etiology of EMS.

Two alleged (and partially interrelated) cofactors – namely, genetic engineering and a microimpurity/ies of dietary supplements [15] – are both unnecessary and insufficient explanations of enigmatic (multifactorial)4 chains of causality underlying a majority of official EMS cases.
Numerous etiologic incongruities [16–19] – including two reports of L-tryptophan-induced eosinophilia with myalgia in 1986 [20–22] – underscore why a paradigm shift was advisable.

Additional counterevidence from Waller, Wood, Breckenridge and Rawlins, (published by the London Department of Health and Social Security) disclosed at least 3 official6 EMS cases in the United Kingdom that were associated with a Merck pharmaceutical product containing L-tryptophan (Optimax)7 [32]. An analogous survey in Ireland disclosed 5 cases of eosinophilia linked to Optimax [33]. These littleknown landmarks do not comport with hypotheses that “the
etiologic agent” [11, 34–36] of L-tryptophan-induced EMS is a finite microimpurity/ies of LTCDS manufactured by Showa Denko K.K.

One should be mindful of six incontestable facts that collectively
undercut unifactorial explanations of an epidemiologic spike [37, 38] in recorded cases of eosinophilia with myalgia in the late 1980s: the stringent surveillance criteria devised for case-control studies were never meant to be employed as diagnostic criteria [11]; a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nationwide recall and import alert in November 1989 for LTCDS in which L-tryptophan is the sole or major component [39]; a preceding “sharp upturn” [40] in nationwide consumption of L-tryptophan supplements [41, 42]; an inconsistent incidence among subjects who consumed L-tryptophan from common bottles [43]; a relatively low yet telling apparent incidence...; and lastly, analytical determinations of blood cell counts remain unmonitored in most medical checkups.

I have started looking at seed companies to see if Monsanto is taking them over and they are. Does anyone know if the Australian Pacific Seeds is owned by Monsanto?
http://www.pacificseeds.com/media/2004/news_25_Nov_04_Strength.htm “With the redistribution of Advanta's North American businesses, and it now belonging to Monsanto in Canada and Monsanto in the USA, Pacific Seeds is now a core part of Advanta and as a strong performer is in no danger of liquidation”.
I also want GM and GM mixes to be thoroughly tested because consumers will be eating it and it is a major health issue. No-one eats just one product and mixtures could react and has to be tested for safety as no tests remotely look at this issue.
You don’t believe overdosing can happen, that is a ridiculous statement as poor countries eat just one food for all meals which would affect their total Vitamin A/Omega 3 overdosage. They would not notice that the rice is a slightly different colour and natural rice is a brown colour. You are saying that I can “stick to white rice”, when I eat brown rice, but how can you stop your GM rice contaminating my rice?
Thanks non-GM Farmer for giving me the reference site for tryptophan so I could look up what was going on. Feel free to use any of my references or quotes in the future.
The research I quoted was valid and your inflammation research is not the only research around, so why are you defaming the research that I gave when it is valid? Or do you do this all the time when it does not suit your purpose

d (David Tribe), your posts sound a tad confused but let me allay your concerns.
1. At no time have I given "dangerous" medical advise (you are really getting desperate there).
2. It was only the GM L-Tryptophan that caused the problem, not all L-Tryptophan and hence the public outcry that linked GM with this problem. Showa Denko was the source of the massive EMS epidemic. The 8 cases mentioned were in line with normal EMS statistics, the thousands that were related to Showa Denko created the uproar.
3. I did not put the quote you said on my website.
4. Jeffrey Smith compiles data from a range of referenced sources including scientists.
5. I think L-Tryptophan was withdrawn from the market. Article quote: "the epidemic stopped soon after L-Tryptophan was recalled by the FDA"
6. You seem to have missed the point: The quotes I have on my site include at least three other reasons for the problem: Jeffrey Smith explains " they also reduced the amount of carbon in the filter of the manufacturing process from 20 kilos to 10 " and then gives the reason why that published excuse was not acceptable. He also includes "Showa Denko’s pills had several unique contaminants that were likely to be responsible for the epidemic." I also added a section with the quote "The results suggest that EMS may have been caused, not by L-tryptophan alone, but by the combined effects of adrenal dysfunction and L-tryptophan ingestion"

To put it simply, the blame could be that it was a concentrated GM formula gone wrong, that the filters were insufficient to deal with the concentration (highly unlikely considering the facts)or that a batch was contaminated with other material. Also the problem was evident when in association with adrenal dysfunction, not as a stand alone problem.

isitreallysafe - Pacific Seeds appears to be the only Australian company that is taking real efforts to test for and avoid GM in non-GM seed.