Greg has provided us with two more cases of the manure for brains people running amok...
The thing that seems clear to me in reading the articles is that in Europe, the U.S. and Canada, people can afford non-genetically engineered foods. The can even afford the losses of "organic" crops with no pesticides. The food costs are so low in these countries that the marginal costs of foods that are "perceived" to be better will be accepted by the population.
What we can't afford is an educational system that teachs
people enough about Science that they understand that
their entire food supply contains toxins that the plants
use to keep the insects at bay, many of which are carcinogens
(using tests that are somewhat questionable vis-a-vis actual
human health effects); or about things like dose-response
relationships.
However, there will be genetically engineered crops. If too much resistance develops in the Western world, the Biotech industry will simply move the work to China/India/Indonesia/Thailand/etc. where the people aren't as prissy about what they eat.
Another interesting thing about the articles is that the biotech companies by keeping a low profile in this area may be doing themselves a disservice because of the perception that something "underhanded" may be occuring.
However, if this continues, I'm going to consider the environmental movement completely luddites and treat them accordingly.
Robert