Are you happy with GM food?
The Genetic Technology of Breeding Plants bill
Thank you to the lovely customer who emailed in last week to remind me of the Genetic Technology of Breeding Plants bill that is currently being discussed in Parliament. You might not be aware of this but GM plants might be a new thing in the British countryside.
Now, I don't want to be a luddite but this is not just a small change in growing plants but rather allowing global corporations the power to decide on millions of years of natural selection in one fell scoop, & then them owning these changes from here on out. These changes are going to be sold to farmers on the basis that it will make their life easier!
As a farmer growing over 50 crops on a small scale I can say we do not need any GM crops whatsoever, especially with our style of farming which is very natural & traditional. Perhaps there will be some benefits with drought tolerance tech. What I do not like is that it will be mainly used so the plants are resistant to a corporations chemical that they also own. And as hinted at above who will own the the technology or the seeds, & what will happen to the seeds we already use?
This is alarming as I know some of the consequences after speaking to some of my American friends. I do think this is going to be one of the biggest changes in farming in the UK this century. It needs a lot of consideration by everybody in the UK & you should not take it lightly either.
It seems a shame that when you want to do something natural, as in our case, we end up having to defend it more than ever.
Anyway I prefer to tell you about the farm & the dedication we have to growing your crops. On Friday, Liga was planting by hand in the rain all day. She is a great example of what it takes to grow your food. You can see her handy work when you visit the Field Kitchen gardens in the summer!
As the Hungry Gap is starting to bite in most places, I am so pleased we still have lots of veg to harvest such as broccoli, spring greens, cabbages, carrots, leeks & this week we have started the spring onion harvest. The glass house has the first strawberry crop which is super exciting & just in time for the lovely warm weather we are getting this week!
