Investigation finds GM rice widely sold in Hubei Genetically modified rice has turned up in central #China’s Hubei Province. Three out of five bags of rice randomly bought at supermarkets in provincial capital Wuhan were found to contain #GM varieties. China has never approved the commercial growth of GM rice, nor its import. According to a local farmer, the #Bt63 GM rice variety was particularly popular among growers since it is pest resistant. For growers, this translates to savings that can be considerable. Regulation Bt63 was developed and patented by #HuazhongAgriculturalUniversity, but according to Zhang Qifa, one of its principal developers, back in the 1990s seed companies could easily get hold of Bt63, as regulations were not strict and many scientific and research results were shared. From these supplies, said Zhang, seed companies could cultivate the crop and sell the seed to farmers. Not the first time The recent discovery is not the first time genetically modified rice has appeared on supermarket shelves in the province. In May, the environmental organization Greenpeace said it checked 15 samples of rice on sale in Wuhan and found four contained GM materials. It said the source of three Bt63 samples was Huazhong Agricultural University. The university, however, questioned the methodology and accused Greenpeace of theft. “Without control, science may destroy our world. If the scientists lose their conscience, they may be criminals with a horrible damaging power.” @artscoolaohai “Chinese agricultural scientist Yuan Longping once said, the safety of GM food cannot be guaranteed in two generation of time. We will support the scientific research in this field; but we don’t necessarily agree on the mass production of GM crops.” @Ligongdushufengle “Who cares what we eat when we live in such a horrible environment? If we don’t protect the environment from now on, GM food will not make any difference for the next generations.” @Shenghanlaile
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 15:02:48 +0000