Quote Originally Posted by gavin View Post
Do we really want to handcuff ourselves in this way? If so, why?!!
So how far do you/we want to go? Just transfer genes between different types of potatoes?
... or transfer genes between other types of plants and potatoes
... or transfer animal genes into plants?
... or human genes into animals and plants, and the other way round?

Maybe it's all a futile discussion that we in Europe are carrying on with, while the rest of the world is just going to do it anyway.


Re. organic/conventional farming:

I'm as enthusiastic about using legumes for sustainable soil fertility improvement as anyone, honest. To me though, this is classic sustainable farming, not something specifically 'organic'.
Unfortunately this classic sustainable way is hardly practised amongst conventional farmers anymore. Do you really know a farmer who is not organic and doesn't apply NPK fertilizers? Yes, the certification process is expensive and bureaucratic, but it's the only way for a consumer to find out what has been grown sustainably. If a product is not labelled organic you can be quite sure that it has had a number of applications of fertilizers, weedkillers, fungizides etc.

a sometimes strange set of rules to satisfy a certification authority
So which are the the rules in organic farming which you find strange? Maybe I can clarify.
(here the link to the Soil Association Certification Standards again: http://www.soilassociation.org/LinkC...w%3d&tabid=353)

Doris