by frog
It’s rather unsurprising that a well known GE trial would attract the occasional sabotage attempt. It’s a bit like streakers at the one day cricket or abusive flaming comments at Kiwiblog. You can say as much as you like that you’d really rather it didn’t happen, but it’s occurrence is now all so stereotypical that its part of our cultural understanding of GE field trials.
So when we find out this morning that GE protestors burrowed under a fence at Crown Research institute, Scion’s Rotorua farm, dug up a few pine trees and forgot to take their spade with them on the way out it all sounds like security was a bit lax. After all, look at the photo on this media release from 3 days ago. How clearly do security risks need to be drawn to your attention before you solve them?
Aside from the fact that these trees are magnets for GE protestors, you would have thought that Scion would be worried enough about its ERMA obligations to be preventing the likelihood of these trees escaping out into ‘the environment’. Although, if you read the rest of the media release, maybe not:
The genetically engineered tree field trials at the Rotorua base of CRI Scion (formerly Forest Research Institute Ltd) have rabbits and cats free ranging in and out of the trial, and the weekly fence inspection requirements of the ERMA (Environmental Risk Management Authority) consent have clearly not been followed for years according to Scion’s annual ERMA reports and photographic evidence collated for Soil & Health’s Organic NZ magazine.
Published in Environment & Resource Management by frog on Wed, January 16th, 2008
Tags: , ERMA, GE, Genetic engineering, scion
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
If I only have two locks on my door, is it my fault I get burgled?
Perhaps I’ll buy a gun….
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- “Aside from the fact that these trees are magnets for GE protestors, you would have thought that Scion would be worried enough about its ERMA obligations to be preventing the likelihood of these trees escaping out into ‘the environment’.”
Because GE plants do this. They’re like Triffids.
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“If I only have two locks on my door, is it my fault I get burgled?”
hmm, if you read the Soil Association PR you’ll see that analogy is more like … if I leave my door open, is it my fault I get burgled? Or … if I allow my door to rot away, is it my fault I get burgled?
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Stuey,
A GE activist breaking into a field trial is about as clever as a security consultant advising that a house is insecure because it has windows. Which could be smashed.
Nobody else gives a toss, except those who want to make a political point.
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BTW Stuey, the answer is still no. You’re a victim.
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if you have a nuclear warhead in your living room then yes. it’s all relative.
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It is interesting that in India where the widespread public disquiet about GE Rice trials and how they might effect a resource so important to its people their Supreme Court ordered that localities of field trials had to be notified, despite that farmers were damaging the trials to protect their livelihood. In this country ERMA and the Government bend over backwards to allow this experimentation in our economically crucial environment. 70% of the NZ public didn’t want GE so where are the conservative calls for Democracy. Obviously India is far more in touch with public sympathy. What amazes me more is that the so called scientists involved aren’t in touch with the growing information highlighting the problems and lack of economic value. A basic law I learned in High school science was for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction – doesn’t this mean that something else in the plant or environment will also change to head back to equalibrium, in this case based on millions of years of naturak selection. The best minds in the field have clearly demonstrated that environment (equalibrium?) is more important than DNA in the continuation of healthy life – but this doesn’t allow monopolising of the life prosess for profit – check out the DVD “Biology of Belief” by Dr. Bruce Lipton.
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oldlux,
- “It is interesting that in India where the widespread public disquiet about GE Rice trials…”
…because of the totally unjustified scaremongering by green groups. And, having manufactured these fears, you now wish to cite them as reason to stop GE trials?
- “What amazes me more is that the so called scientists involved aren’t in touch with the growing information highlighting the problems and lack of economic value.”
Scientists generally are not concerned with economic value. And if private companies do indeed lose money over this, how is it a problem for you?
- “70% of the NZ public didn’t want GE so where are the conservative calls for Democracy.”
Similarly, most people opposed the anti-smacking legislation. Where were the statists’ “calls for Democracy” then?
In this case, if there is no clear threat posed by these tests then there can be no valid objection to their going ahead, even if 99% of the population opposes it. It’s like fat women wearing lycra – offensive to the majority perhaps, but not something they can legitimately vote on.
- “A basic law I learned in High school science was for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction – doesn’t this mean that something else in the plant or environment will also change to head back to equalibrium, in this case based on millions of years of naturak selection.”
No, it just means you should go back to high school.
What you are talking about is Newton’s Third Law of Motion. The clue is in the word “motion.”
- “The best minds in the field have clearly demonstrated that environment (equalibrium?) is more important than DNA in the continuation of healthy life – but this doesn’t allow monopolising of the life prosess for profit – check out the DVD “Biology of Belief? by Dr. Bruce Lipton.”
Well, I googled for your Dr Bruce Lipton, and all I found was an embarrassing fruitcake writing about “Insights into the Convergence of Science and Spirituality” and other such garbage.
I’m not entirely convinced that the author of such works as “The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter and Miracles” can honestly be described as one of “the best minds in the field” -unless that field happens to be ‘New-age wank’.
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no, it’s like smacking fat women wearing lycra – understandable, but not something the government should allow – the government would be abdicating its responsibility to protect the rights of lycra-wearing fat women if it legislated in favour of such assaults – even if 70% of the population wanted to behave that way. if 70% of the people want 21st january every year to be “beat up mouldwarp day”, is that democracy? or does democracy imply respect for human rights, rather than unrestrained tyranny of the majority.
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how did you get that w word through when the software blocked a post of mine with nothing more than a word equivalent to what a pin does?
american software i guess
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It could be American software or perhaps the w word is deemed acceptable because it made it into print in Hansard in the 1980s. The Speaker didn’t hear the interjection “wooly woofter w*nker” and therefore didn’t demand the withdrawal of the remark. The comment then slipped through the normal proofreading and verification procedures for Hansard. The subsequent inclusion of the comment in Hansard was enough to make w*nker acceptable Parliamentary language. So if its good enough for parliament its good enough for the net.
While w*nker is not a prohibited word in Parliament there does seem to be a gentlepersons agreement not to use it anyway.
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It’ll be the American Software. I don’t recognize the “w” word at all. It trips no alarms and only through context can I ascribe any pejorative meaning to it. As far as recognizing the words used down here it is just a little stuffed up.
Frog might tune it if it looked needful, but I think we actually do a PRETTY good job of policing ourselves.
respectfully
BJ
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The equivalent word about a pin IS a bad word in American slanging. Just another case making the point.
BJ
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My interest in GE is only this. That we protect our GE-Free label until it is no longer a way to increase pricing power of our goods and we are sure through at least 2 generations, that there are no bad effects (beyond the inherent weakness of any monoculture).
My caution is that it is a one-way street. We cannot “unrelease” GE material once it has been released. Since it offers advantage and that advantage cannot be duplicated by any other Nation I can think of, it is not something we should casually discard or place in the hands of business to discard.
respectfully
BJ
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actually i see the software did eventually allow the pin-related word through.
interesting info kevyn. the w word has appeared twice on the simpsons, indicating that while they recognize it is a bit naughty, they don’t realize quite how taboo it is. they wouldn’t dream of using the equivalent f word which if anything, is more acceptable.
in a lad magazine interview hugh hefner was asked if despite being surrounded by beautiful women at the playboy mansion, he sometimes prefers a w… (still not confident the software won’t suddenly react)
his response was “er.. what is that?”
hugh hefner!
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