Horizon: Jimmy's GM Food Fight, Tuesday 9pm, BBC2

Posted by Jane Murphy

There's something very disconcerting about seeing a bunch of angry Europeans stamping on a field of crops in their sensible walking boots. I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for the poor, defenceless vegetables as I watched the action unfold on last night's Horizon.

But then again, this was no ordinary crop. This was a genetically modified crop - and therefore scourge of the Earth, right? Well, possibly not. According to scientist-turned-farmer Jimmy Doherty's thoughtful, balanced argument, there's a chance GM could actually save the world.

In Uganda, for example, people may soon die of starvation if nothing is done to protect their vital banana crops, which are under attack from a rampant disease. Scientists believe a GM disease-resistant tree could provide the solution.

And while most of Europe is now a GM-free zone, 10% of the world's crops are GM. Americans have been eating GM corn and soya-based products for more than a decade with no immediately obvious ill effects. But when the US sent an aid package of four tons of GM maize to Africa during the 2002 famine, it was rejected by four governments. "We would rather starve than eat something that is toxic," the Zambian president told reporters.

This being Horizon, the programme did contain a few unnecessary Open University-circa-1975-style science graphics. But that aside, Mr Doherty's fascinating investigation provided food for thought on a very important issue - even if it did fail to give us any real answers.

Picture: BBC

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Comments

[Joanna Heselwood]

Jimmy Doherty should be ashamed of himself, he is gullible and naive, and dangerous.

I am still so angry about it, that it's taken me this long to calm down enough to comment at all.

I agree with the previous post, and more, there are issues with anti biotic resistance because of the way the genes are selected, issues of biodiversity, etc. etc.

[Deborah]

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[Cynicus]

Quite so. O'h.

Horizon has 'previous' for this type of thing. -BBC Trust 2007 finding against the Horizon 'Chernobyl - Nuclear nightmares'of 2006. A nuclear industry whitewash - to mislead uk viewers while their govt. opted for future nuclear energy.

But see The Ecologist -
Jimmy's gm food fix -

http://www.theecologist.org/pages/archive_detail.asp?content_id=2003

[Ohagan]

All I can say after watching this programme on Tuesday evening is that Horizon has lost all credibility as a scientific programme and Jimmy Doherty as a scientist and farmer!

Until last night, I had no idea that the BBC was really a commercial station in disguise. This programme was basically an hour long soft-sell advertisement for GM food. Jimmy was spinning as though his life depended upon it - it wouldn't surprise me to find out that he could retire comfortably on the proceeds!

And when it came to the lady at the John Innes Centre explaining how a plant is genetically modified, I have never seen such piffle! "This is how we genetically modify a plant - just a drop of this nice little bacteria onto the seed ....". From what I understand of the process, this "nice little bacteria" could be an E-Coli virus or some other very strong, virulent specimen, which is used to force the foreign gene into the host, and which might, through mutation, cause us to become ill with no remedy available to save us.

And where was the scientist in Jimmy when he was spinning a story about there being no adverse effects of eating GM foods in the USA over the past ten years. Not one of the companies who create these foods has bothered to do any research to see if there have been or not, but we do know that food-related illnesses have doubled in the US during that time, we do know that Monsanto has suppressed negative research (this information came to light during a court case on another matter), and we do know that research done on rats and mice by independent scientists has shown damage to their organs, a lower birthrate and higher mortality rate. I don't see how we can expect human organs to escape suffering similar effects.

It would be really good to know just who commissioned this advertisement - I really cannot call it a documentary, because very few facts emerged about the very real dangers of GM crops. Not one word was spoken about superweeds that have made farmers abandon GM crops, including the suicide of thousands of farmers in India whose GM Bt cotton crops failed completely within four years, of increased rather than decreased use of pesticides, of lower yields rather than higher yields in some cases, of insects vitally important to the pollination of crops that are now disappearing, etc. etc.

The BBC should be ashamed of themselves for airing such blatantly slanted misinformation. It is time that someone informed them that you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!

I am not just ranting, but speaking from a position of knowledge. People need to be informed of all the facts, and not given some rosy, cosmetic picture to reassure them that all will be well if they will only bring themselves to trust those who are only in the GM game for profit.