I found a documentary on BBC Horizon: Jimmy’s GM Food Fight. I was surprised and thought have BBC started to make documentaries that is critical to politics. I started watching the movie and on the screen a seemingly earthbound smalltime farmer named Jimmy appear. The former scientist jimmy changed his occupation to farming. But whit his expertise in GM foods he felt he had to take it upon himself to spread the gospel of all the great wonders of GM foods so he could save the world from hunger. After 15 min I couldn’t take it any more I felt the propaganda pounding against my brain. I skipped a little forward but there were no end to jimmy’s appraisal of GM Food. If BBC had any credibility left then the rest of it went out the window whit Jimmy’s GM Food Fight. This video was BBC’s response to the strong opposition to GM food by the British people a few months back. What the hell if we rap it in new paper and say it is to save the world the people of Britain will probably love it this time.
I found a blog on the video whit a fitting comment that I post below.

Orange TV Blog:
There's something very disconcerting about seeing a bunch of angry Europeans stamping on a field of crops in their sensible walking boots. I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for the poor, defenceless vegetables as I watched the action unfold on last night's Horizon.

But then again, this was no ordinary crop. This was a genetically modified crop - and therefore scourge of the Earth, right? Well, possibly not. According to scientist-turned-farmer Jimmy Doherty's thoughtful, balanced argument, there's a chance GM could actually save the world.

In Uganda, for example, people may soon die of starvation if nothing is done to protect their vital banana crops, which are under attack from a rampant disease. Scientists believe a GM disease-resistant tree could provide the solution.

And while most of Europe is now a GM-free zone, 10% of the world's crops are GM. Americans have been eating GM corn and soya-based products for more than a decade with no immediately obvious ill effects. But when the US sent an aid package of four tons of GM maize to Africa during the 2002 famine, it was rejected by four governments. "We would rather starve than eat something that is toxic," the Zambian president told reporters.

This being Horizon, the programme did contain a few unnecessary Open University-circa-1975-style science graphics. But that aside, Mr Doherty's fascinating investigation provided food for thought on a very important issue - even if it did fail to give us any real answers.

Comment:
All I can say after watching this programme on Tuesday evening is that Horizon has lost all credibility as a scientific programme and Jimmy Doherty as a scientist and farmer!

Until last night, I had no idea that the BBC was really a commercial station in disguise. This programme was basically an hour long soft-sell advertisement for GM food. Jimmy was spinning as though his life depended upon it - it wouldn't surprise me to find out that he could retire comfortably on the proceeds!

And when it came to the lady at the John Innes Centre explaining how a plant is genetically modified, I have never seen such piffle! "This is how we genetically modify a plant - just a drop of this nice little bacteria onto the seed ....". From what I understand of the process, this "nice little bacteria" could be an E-Coli virus or some other very strong, virulent specimen, which is used to force the foreign gene into the host, and which might, through mutation, cause us to become ill with no remedy available to save us.

And where was the scientist in Jimmy when he was spinning a story about there being no adverse effects of eating GM foods in the USA over the past ten years. Not one of the companies who create these foods has bothered to do any research to see if there have been or not, but we do know that food-related illnesses have doubled in the US during that time, we do know that Monsanto has suppressed negative research (this information came to light during a court case on another matter), and we do know that research done on rats and mice by independent scientists has shown damage to their organs, a lower birthrate and higher mortality rate. I don't see how we can expect human organs to escape suffering similar effects.

It would be really good to know just who commissioned this advertisement - I really cannot call it a documentary, because very few facts emerged about the very real dangers of GM crops. Not one word was spoken about superweeds that have made farmers abandon GM crops, including the suicide of thousands of farmers in India whose GM Bt cotton crops failed completely within four years, of increased rather than decreased use of pesticides, of lower yields rather than higher yields in some cases, of insects vitally important to the pollination of crops that are now disappearing, etc. etc.

The BBC should be ashamed of themselves for airing such blatantly slanted misinformation. It is time that someone informed them that you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!

I am not just ranting, but speaking from a position of knowledge. People need to be informed of all the facts, and not given some rosy, cosmetic picture to reassure them that all will be well if they will only bring themselves to trust those who are only in the GM game for profit.