GM eggplant trials suspended in Philippines

Let's see if I have this correct. University led research into growing eggplants with far less pesticide because the eggplants are engineered with a gene from a bacteria is destroyed because a piece of paper was not posted at City Hall.

This would be hilarious if it wasn't so very very sad.

Perhaps those at City Hall need to read the UN Consensus Document on the safety of plants expressing Bt proteins. If they had they would have known:
"The acute oral toxicity data on Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry9C, Cry3A, Cry1F, Cry2Ab2, Cry3Bb1,
Cry34Ab1, and Cry35Ab1 supports the prediction that the Cry proteins would be non-toxic to humans.
When proteins are toxic, they are known to act via acute mechanisms and at very low dose level (Sjoblad
et al., 1992). Therefore, since no effects were seen in the acute tests, even at relatively high dose levels,
these δ-endotoxin proteins are not considered toxic to humans. Both the long history of safe use of B.
thuringiensis and the acute oral toxicity data allow for a conclusion that these and other δ-endotoxins pose
negligible toxicity risk to humans.

Listening to anti-GMO activists will not educate anyone about the real science of GMO's. Pity the destroyed research will mean farmers will have to continue to spray their eggplants many times with pesticides instead of having the eggplants protect themselves. At some point in the future Bt eggplants will be widely grown and the environment will be far better off with reduced pesticide exposure. How long that takes depends on how long politicians listen to the pseudo-science and fear pushed by the critics of GM crops generally and Bt crops specifically.

Quote: How long that takes depends on how long politicians listen to the pseudo-science and fear pushed by the critics of GM crops generally and Bt crops specifically.
Answer: I suppose one could use the recent recall of Vioxx to undermine your argument about pseudo-science ? It was the scientists who told us Vioxx is good and NOW they have been FORCED to tell us Vioxx is BAD. As to genetically modified food being BETTER according to scientists ? Wasn't it in China the whole crop was destroyed BECAUSE they used Genetically Modified plants ? It think the whole world will be better off if we WATCH SCIENTISTS CLOSELY and proceed with extreme caution and prejudice.
"GM Crops Encourage Pest Infestation?"
"Millions of acres of farmland in northern China have reportedly been infested with bugs following the widespread adoption of Bt cotton"

http://www.testbiotech.de/node/444

Good. Rip all of these BT toxic plants out of the ground that are causing the transgenic contamination of natural plants worldwide. This isn't science. This is a corporate profit making scheme. And I am stunned to think anyone would simply expect these plants should just be planted in the ground and put out into our environment with NO environmental review.

Jan, may I ask you to list the "natural plants" that we use in agriculture.

I would like to add few words on debate on Bt-eggplant, away from the Bt and GMO debate to provide another perspective for more thoughts:

A question that we should ask is whether the Bt-eggplant could remain a useful tool to reduce pesticides in the long run? My gut feeling after working many years with eggplants in South Asia is that because of its large acreage and round-the-year cultivation (in recent years) and a number of primary and secondary pests, soon a new group of insect-pest, for which Bt-toxins are not toxic, would become a dominant species (most probably the sucking pest groups). And, with that the chances of evolution of newer viral disease will increase so will the phytoplasma diseases. There are already severe issues reported from many intensive eggplant growing areas of the ‘little leaf disease’ spread by jassids.

Secondly, there is enough evidence that the eggplant could be cultivated with much less chemicals (still more research is needed to find options for borer, Leucinodes orbonalis), why are resources not put in this area? I fully understand that this is a difficult pest due to its cryptic life cycle (hidden inside fruits), fewer and not very effective natural enemies, short egg period (3 days) that is often laid single scattered over the flower buds, but there are a number of options that could reduce its damage.

And, scientific publications only provides truth of the moment – which keeps on changing with more work in a given area – so ultimately societies will have to think beyond certain papers and publications that are available either supporting or opposing Bt-eggplant keeping smallholder farmers in the center of debate at least in the Asian context.

Thanks,
Kumar P.

Quote: Secondly, there is enough evidence that the eggplant could be cultivated with much less chemicals (still more research is needed to find options for borer, Leucinodes orbonalis), why are resources not put in this area?
Answer: Research HAS shown by planting pest resistant plants like lemongrass ALONG with the crop like rice they are getting real results. Logically THAT should work. Seaweed could be used as fertilizer which has a natural herbicide built right in. Crop rotation. Compost from mushroom farming . There's lots of ways to improve food security. Imho.

It is surprising to see that the SAME people who insist to avoid pesticides are using any means to block the use of pesticide-free GM crops, in particular eggplants.