General discussion about GM in food production. A short presentation given as part of 'Greener Gloucestershire'.

1. YOUR NEXT STEP
Greener Gloucestershire Festival
GM Debate 20th Sept 2014
Babies and Bathwater …
Chris Short

2. YOUR NEXT STEP
• Dominantly polarised ‘debate’ (but not today)
– Very unhelpful for everyone
• Face up to very really challenges
– Climate change (4 degrees by 2050?)
– Population increase (11 billion by 2100?)
– Increased pressure on natural resources
• Need to retain all the ‘tools’ we have.
• Current system is not beneficial.

3. YOUR NEXT STEP
• Potential benefits of GM
– Help meet demand for food
• Especially in getting more from less
• Increase resistance to drought and disease
– Provide some medical advances
• As yet to little on this
– Reduced use of chemicals
• Variable evidence on this
– Producing more food with a lighter
environmental footprint.

4. YOUR NEXT STEP
• What is Genetic Modification?
– More accurate and quicker than conventional
genetic breeding techniques
– There is more to come, vaccines, bespoke
nutrition, increased resistance.
– Where would you go to find out?
• A key issue is TRUST
• Sources reinforce old views?

5. YOUR NEXT STEP
• Need to reconcile risks & benefits
– No evidence that they are harmful to us
• Two trillion meals and no negative evidence
• Evidence that smaller farmers benefit
– Poor debate has restricted progress
• Lack of science-led decision-making
• Lack of transparency and accountability
– Focus on the quick (corporation) wins
• This needs to change.

6. YOUR NEXT STEP
• The baby is growing
– New products from wide range of companies
• Aimed at reducing waste
• New products reducing unhealthy oils
• Products designed for consumers
– Responsible use of GMOs increasing
• China benefitting from reduced pesticide
• Is the water is getting cleaner?
– Some fears not realised
– Most that are about people not GMOs

7. YOUR NEXT STEP
• The challenges are great, so
• We need all the tools we have
• GMOs alone will not:
– feed the world
– make us more sustainable
• They might be part of the solution
– keep GMOs and make they work for all of
us and the environment.