THE Luddites, including Greenpeace, Scott Kinnear and Margaret Fulton, have campaigned relentlessly against the introduction of genetically modified canola. Their misleading propaganda successfully saw moratoriums introduced in many states. More recently Mr Kinnear has raised $750,000 to help Steve Marsh sue his neighbour, Michael Baxter, for planting GM canola.
In what is considered a landmark decision Justice Kenneth James Martin today ruled in favour of the GM canola grower, Michael Baxter.
The following reasons were given for the decision:
1. For private nuisance it had not been shown that there had been any unreasonable interference by Mr Baxter in the Marshes’ use and enjoyment of their property.
2. Mr Baxter was not to be held responsible as a broadacre farmer merely for growing a lawful GM crop and choosing to adopt a harvest methodology which was entirely orthodox in its implementation.
3. Nor could Mr Baxter be held responsible, in law, for the reactions to the incursion of Marshes’ organic certification body, NASAA, which in the circumstances presented to be an unjustifiable reaction to what occurred.
4. His Honour also rejected the Marshes’ cause of action in common law negligence. The Marshes’ action for exclusively a financial loss, was without precedent. No basis in legal principle was presented to the Court to extend the law to the events in this case.
5. Mr Baxter had not been shown to have acted negligently, either by growing or then by swathing the lawfully grown GM canola in 2010.
For more information on this story read The Land at http://www.theland.com.au/news/agriculture/cropping/general-news/baxter-wins-gm-case/2700017.aspx?storypage=1
For more information about coexistence and GMOs visit http://www.abca.com.au/coexistence/
Personally, I could care less if Rapeseed is genetically modified or not.
Over 30 years ago I discovered that Cottonseed Oil made me deathly ill. In the past few years I heard that Canola was bad, but ignored that and kept consuming it until it finally made me sick (if I eat bread made with it I'm sick for a week with flu-like symptoms (burning muscle pain and exhaustion).
Is it just me? ...or could other people be affected as well? Could be some are and don't know what's making them sick.After all, those are the only two oils known to contain toxins (see here, pp 348-349)
As long as you are young and healthy, you're probably OK. But as you age, you may not be so fortunate. But then, who cares about old folks these days, anyway?
All the best.
Most of the people I know who are growing GM canola are doing it because they have herbicide resistant weeds. The GM canola is "bred" to tolerate higher doses of herbicides. This particular Luddite does not wish to eat roundup for tea.
Even in spite of Monsanto getting it approved in 2011 as an antibiotic.
I notice in the analysis of the judgement the difficulty of testing in the field , without special equipment ,is often mentioned .
I am pleased that, with their proud history of generosity , that Monsanto won't ever consider sending a man into your field with a gadget , analyse your crop and ask for the royalties.
Anyway, butter tastes heaps better, so it won't worry me, even though I do find that canola spread works well as a lubricant on my caravan props.
http://www.whitsundaytimes.com.au/news/mixed-up-weather-may-bring-honey-cut/2275842/
This one comes replete with commenting about what the bees and the trees are thinking/predicting:
"The bees are predicting a mild winter, just looking at their behaviour.
"Even the trees are confused by a year in which rain did not come until the end of the wet season.
"All my citrus and stone fruit trees have flowered heavily," he said yesterday.
"They seem to think it's spring. The blue gums are in heavy bud and flowering about two months early."
And on another topic here:
Replete with sporting analogies.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/our-science-suffers-from-a-national-delusion-20140530-399l3.html
While this makes some sense:
"We are a nation without a plan, he says. Nowhere does a policy or a strategy exist that sets out this country's vision for the future, and how science and innovation should help achieve that.
"You don't go out and buy your bricks before you know what kind of house you're going to build," he says.
But the majority of the article is complaining about funding.
This article has completely ignored the exponential rise in funding to organisations such as CSIRO over the past decade.
Unfortunately, much of that increased funding has gone into research that really hasn't achieved much to inform a:
"policy or a strategy () that sets out this country's vision for the future, and how science and innovation should help achieve that."
As that funding stream exponentially increased, rural and regional Australia watched the denudation of research and an alarming loss of social capital/ scientific expertise in Ag research.
Well the Einstein quote may be both wrong and miss-attributed but the rest of it still makes sense( even if a bit over pessimistic).
http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/08/27/einstein-bees/
The low frequency parts have links to the solar/cosmic modulation of the Schumann resonance so are an interest if bees turn out via vegetation to be part of yet another way the sun alters the climate.
I've just finished sowing 2000 ha of crop and the decision is good but the damage done by the enviro/organic lobby to GM science and the lack of crops that I could be growing is real and depressing. The organic industry markets their products by making consumers fear that the crops I grow are dangerous to their health and the environment ...Fear Food. Perhaps I could sue for damages? I imagine drought/disease tolerant crops that could make farming more viable but alas the regulatory cost and consumer fear stops science from giving me the outcomes of genetic research. Frost wiped out 3/4 of our crop in 1998 and 40% last year and I don't have to tell anyone of the droughts Australia has experienced in the last twenty years. We need GM crops that have improved environmental stress responses but there is little chance of this thanks to the Green movement. Millions still starve in this world and we deny them the food and the technology that would feed them. The Organic motto should be.. 'Starvation is no excuse for endangering your health'