Dear Madam,

Dick Ahlstrom's report on Professor Cunningham's report on GM foods is a perfect illustration of the fact that you can no longer trust anything scientific until you know exactly who paid for it. The report is simply not scientific in the old, ethical sense of the word. Amongst the many inaccuracies in his report are the following.

1. It is well known that GM crops do NOT increase yields.

2. It is well known that the total resistance to specific herbicides comes at huge cost to the quality of the crops that can now be drenched in those chemicals (sold by the same company, of course) before being sold for our consumption. And let's not go into the damage to the environment caused being able to safely smother crops in chemicals for a little bit more profit - they hope.

3. It is well known that the limited research that has been done (guess who is trying to stop such research) shows clearly that there ARE dangers to human and animal health.

4. Simply because lots of people were using asbestos did not mean that it was therefore safe for more people to use it. If Cunningham is really a professor, he is intelligent enough to know well the dishonesty of that circular argument.

5. It is well known that most small farmers will be driven out of business because of the need to buy seeds every year instead of using the old ones. This will be especially cruel to the poorer areas of the world. Admittedly corporations are not in business for human welfare but our politicians should at least pretend to be interested.

5. It is well known that Ireland without GM crops could be the bread basket of Europe because of all the Europeans that don't want them. Ireland without GM crops would have a competitive advantage and that is what the people that pay Cunningham and his like don't want. If we get bullied dishonestly down the same road as the other countries, Irish agriculture can start closing down now.

Yours rather angrily,

Richard Barton

(Consultant in nutritional medicine, counsellor and writer) Kevin Street, Tinahely, Co. Wicklow, Rep. of Ireland.