Interesting Rob, I did ask way back if Bugsy could explain what crops I might be growing which have been bred by mutagenesis, I admit I havent heard of it. Could you be specific as to types and varieties of vegetables you are talking about? I guess it is not a worry as I havent heard of any controversy regarding mutagenesis, whereas I have heard of plenty of scientists who are very concerned about Genetic engineering, Dr Rosemary Stanton, David Suzuki,Josh Byrne,Dr Judy Carmen,to name a very few. They all seem so intelligent and caring and genuine I find it hard to believe they are all lying, but someone is. And that Russian woman scientist Dr Irma someone who has photographed the stunted little rat whose mother had a 30 % Gm diet next to a normal healthy rat of the same age whose mother had a GM free diet , Thats a great photo and it gets people attention as we have it on a large poster and take it to festivals and markets. Lots of people are now aware of whats going on.Viva the farmers markets !

Meeri Bee

Here is a link to the IAEA site. As you will see over 2200 varieties have been made with randon ionizing radiation mutagenesis. I will leave it to you to determine if your organic varieties are included. A list of those produced from chemical mutagenesis is unknown to myself. http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Newsletters/MB-REV-12.pdf

As for those scientists you listed I do not know why they chosse to mislead the public but some do it for money. The more they try to scare the more money they make. It is that simple. The russian scientist has had her fifteen minutes of fame and the so-called research was soundly dismantled in Nature Biotechnology a while back. you can check out why she only showed she did not know how to do feeding studies, nothing more. On this subject I suggest you go to my website and see the opinion of the European Food Safety Agency on animal feeding studies. Surely they haven't been corrupted by the biotech companies. While you are there you can read the support from twenty five Nobel Laureates for ag biotech. It is truely unfortunate how many people are suffering in the devloping world due to the multi-billion dollar anti-GM food pseudo-science industry.

Cheers

Oh come on Rob...
Scientists have genuine concerns and exactly what money do they get for expressing their concerns. None! Who would pay? What money do scientists promoting GM get? They get alliance deals with corporate companies and the opportunity to start off a little business through patent alliances.
"The Russian scientist" you quoted could not believe the adverse attacks she got. She stated that these were preliminary studies and should be further investigated.
Arpad Puztai was employed by the UK government to prove GM was safe and undertook a preapproved test. He was so concerned he went public 6 months into his 3 year test to warn people of the early findings. He wanted to finish his research but was halted in his tracks.
Scientists opposing GM risk losing their jobs as scientists depend on the corporate investment opportunities to get the opportunity to play with this technology.
Exactly what are people suffering from in your statement:
"It is truely unfortunate how many people are suffering in the devloping world due to the multi-billion dollar anti-GM food pseudo-science industry."?
The commercial GM crops are only Bt or herbicide tolerant, nothing more. The "golden rice" is nothing to do with the opposition, its the regulatory body that has not approved the dual crossing system as Monsanto instigated the conditions and their technology was a single cross so their recommendation to limit the technology to single crosses was approved.

Non GM Farmer
I would say you have got to be kidding but we have had this dance before. There are literally billions of dollars in the anti-biotechnology industry. Lets start with the black marketing used by the organic /natural food industry. They use fear-generation style to sell their products. Then we have groups like the Suzuki Foundation, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth who solicit funds to help them “fight" the rise in GM food industry. As I said BILLIONS of dollars.
Go to Nature Biotechnology and read why the Russian so-called research was a complete bust scientifically. The Royal Society stated the Pustzai research was deeply flawed and no conclusions could be drawn from it. Same for the Italian mice study and the also the Austrian mice study.(both later ones were not peer –reviewed just massively published by Greenpeace). They prefer science bu media vs the scientific method and sound peer reiew.
Now for the height of your immorality. Golden rice is a prime example of how the anti-GM industry has forced unscientific over regulations that pushed back the giving (YES GIVING) GR rice to the hundreds of millions of people who suffer from vitamin A deficiency. I would direct you to my website but you already know about the well documented arguments I speak of there. To suggest the millions of (mostly) children who have died from a result of vit A deficiency has nothing to do with the anti-GM industry is blatantly false and you should be ashamed of yourself. Hell GP is still trying to tell people the level of beta carotene is too low to be of benefit. Immoral in my book.

Rob from Canada

"It is truely unfortunate how many people are suffering in the devloping world due to the multi-billion dollar anti-GM food pseudo-science industry."

The anti-GM food movement a multi-billion dollar industry??

I doubt many organic farmers are making huge profits. Most of them are in it for ethical reasons more than they are profiteering. Most choose to grow organically because they see it as the best option for both environmental and health reasons. And few if any would do it on a scale large enough to rake in the dollars you're implying.

As for the 'black marketing' of organic/natural produce you speak of, a little evidence to support that allegation might be in order. Farmers and produce markets, natural foodstores, the organic alternatives on the supermarket shelves - that's where most of us purchase our organic food - hardly a black market. Or are you referring to roadside stalls and over-the-fence exchange? - that would have to be a very small part indeed of any 'multi-billion dollar industry'.

As for groups like the Suzuki Foundation, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, who you also accuse of being part of this phantom billion dollar industry, these are not-for-profit groups comprised largely of volunteers. They raise funds to plough back into conservation and awareness-raising. To sneeringly deride them as part of a 'multi-billion dollar industry' is not only ignorant but I think quite obscene, considering the selfless contributions such groups are built on.

As for the people suffering in the developing world, many are suffering as a direct result of growing GM crops, not because of any lack of them.

Thousands of Indian farmers are committing suicide due to the successive failures of GM crops for which they'd borrowed at extortionate rates. They were never told the GM varieties would require twice the amount of water they'd previously used. And they can't even save the seed from their failed crops to replant, but have to purchase it from Monsanto at exhorbitant prices.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1082559/The-GM-genocide-Thousands-Indian-farmers-committing-suicide-using-genetically-modified-crops.html

This type of scenario is not isolated to india alone but is repeated throughout the developing world.

Agronomist why has former research scientist with Monsanto Elaine Ingham been served with a gag order for life?
Rob said "And finally the Royal Society made it very clear when they stated - No conclusions can be drawn from this research regarding the Putzai research with rats and GM potatoes."
And Agro mist
Merri bee, I think you mean the study done by Arpad Puzstai and Stanley Ewen? I have read the paper, you can find it here if you like http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(98)05860-7/fulltext . The assessment made by many others in the field is that the research reported is fundamentally flawed. The paper really showed that mice get sick on a diet of potatoes, GM or not.

So Again:
In 1996 the UK government gave a $1.6 million pound grant to ArpadPusztai and his 20 strong team of scientists to develop the testing protocol for long term safety tests for all GM foods in the UK. These researchers had been working on a GM potatoe for their first subject for the study, and chose a gene from a snowdrop plant which produces an insecticide called GNA Lectin.For 7 years prior they had looked at GNA Lectin extensively and found it to be harmless to rats. Researchers anticipated that the potatoe engineered with GNA Lectin would be similarly harmless to rats. The UK government was planning to commercialize this GE potato and had planned how the Royalties would be divided up between the prestigious Rowlett University where the research was being done and themselves. Arpad Pusztai was in favour of GM at the start.