Making the news today....

[Khriss]

I think it's abt time Mr Stubby took that cart home  ?  k

[Stubby]

22 minutes ago, Khriss said:

I think it's abt time Mr Stubby took that cart home  ?  k

Been there and back twice since you posted that . 

[Gary Prentice]

9 hours ago, tree-fancier123 said:

well the last bad virus was 1918, the last famine around 1845-1850, - at that time we didn't have the crop protection available today, or GM,

Do GM crops make it better or worse? As I understand it the Irish potato famine was due to a Phytophthora that killed the entire crop across the country, of one variety of potato, in around six weeks. 

 

Reducing diversity seems a step backwards. 

Edited April 6, 2020 by Gary Prentice

[huskykev]

Do GM crops make it better or worse? As I understand it the Irish potato famine was due to a Phytophthora that killed the entire crop across the country, of one variety of potato, in around six weeks. 
 
Reducing diversity seems a step backwards. 

The Irish Potato crop failure was caused by blight, the famine was caused by English landlords shipping vast quantities of food out of the country at the same time...

[tree-fancier123]

28 minutes ago, Gary Prentice said:

Do GM crops make it better or worse? As I understand it the Irish potato famine was due to a Phytophthora that killed the entire crop across the country, of one variety of potato, in around six weeks. 

 

Reducing diversity seems a step backwards. 

I think without GM there wouldnt be enough food. I know the technical point youre making about random mutations and natural selection. But to be able to add resistance to some forms of blight can reduce pesticide use

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/ban-on-gm-crops-is-a-blight-on-irish-agriculture-1.3767996?mode=amp

 

[Toad]

19 hours ago, tree-fancier123 said:

they say corona has destroyed 1/3 demand, fortunes will be made and lost, hope the pundits are wrong about extent of economic collapse. The chinese are a bit more blunt than us 'keep the factories running, just pile up the dead staff over there and we will collect and replace'

China was running at 20% fuel sales and the UK is around 40% I believe. Nearly all derv.

[timbernut]

Boris in intensive care

[Khriss]

GM maize can thrive in bauxite laden soil (  South American) way better than common maize. It seems colonial of us to say ' oh no you cannot have it' whilst their kids go hungry. Watched a Monsanto backed project years ago and it clearly was a winner there. Politics should not get in the way of feeding people. K

[Mick Dempsey]

9 minutes ago, timbernut said:

Boris in intensive care

Just saw on Twitter that once in ICU (with covid19) there’s a 50/50 chance of kicking the bucket.

 

Heavy stuff

[Woodworks]

12 minutes ago, timbernut said:

Boris in intensive care

Just seen that and when you see this from the Guardian its not good

 

"Data from the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) showed that of 165 patients treated in critical care in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since the end of February, 79 died, while 86 survived"