GM and VW

What a strange time to be promoting GM crops, (your report, 25 September). The products will be sold not by Scottish scientists and crop research units, but the agricultural industry such as Monsanto, Syngenta and others. They will claim that the products have been tested, are safe, and better than the traditional ones.

But after the Volkswagen emissions test scandal, many will be disinclined to believe them. At best the products will allow increased yields of things like wheat and milk into an already oversupplied market, so depressing prices further.

But the real danger is in the countries which have banned GM. Countries such as Switzerland, France and Germany are ferocious supporters of their home agricultural industry, seeing it as part of their way of life and an important saver of imports. Just one bad test result and a ban will be put on food imports from GM countries. Then a well-funded publicity campaign will build up to persuade consumers in other countries to buy their “healthy” products.

Many will do so either because they are gullible or sensible, depending on your point of view on the science. National labs will analyse every possible product from competing countries to find a bad result to publicise.

George Shering

West Acres Drive

Newport-on-Tay