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I don't see any problem with that, as long as it doesn't attempt to conflate selective breeding with modern genetic engineering. If it were labeled "selective

I don't see any problem with that, as long as it doesn't attempt to conflate selective breeding with modern genetic engineering. If it were labeled "selective breeding" or "modified by traditional selective breeding methods" or something, then I think that's entirely clear what it is.

nine_k 8y ago
Genetic engineering from 50-70 years ago was often hitting seeds with gamma rays. So yes, it's like not produced by a modern CNC, but with a traditional sledgehammer.
nradov 8y ago
There's no need to distinguish between selective breeding versus modern generic engineering. What matters is the output, not the technique.
- will_brown 8y ago
  I don’t necessarily agree. Do people care if they are eating a cow that has been bred for generations to grow faster and have more fat? Is that really the same as genetically modifiying corn so it won’t die when drowned with weed killers and pesticides that are still present on the foods consumers eat?
  - yorwba 8y ago
    Conversely, do people care if they are eating a cow that has been genetically modified to grow faster and have more fat? Is that really the same as breeding corn for generations so it won't die when drowned with weed killers and pesticides that are still present on the foods consumers eat? The difference between your examples is not the genetic modification technique applied, but the result that was achieved. Maybe it would be simpler to just label the precise breed that was used, so consumers can check for themselves which properties they want to avoid.
    - will_brown 8y ago
      Well a lot of people are beginning to care if their cows are feed generically modified corn (ie grain fed) vs grass fed. And it’s not so much the gmo but the cows who are fed gmo corn are also loaded up with antibiotics because the pesticide laced grain makes them sick withthout it. And people don’t like eating antibiotic laden beef. I also think you are blurring the lines between breeding and gmo (ie turning genes on and off) which as a practical matter, what we are talking about is turning off genes in crops, so farmers can you drown their crops and pesticides.
      - yorwba 8y ago
        I'm intentionally blurring the lines between breeding and GMOs because if what you really want to avoid is over-use of pesticides and antibiotics, avoiding GMOs is neither sufficient (farmers will add antibiotics to the conventionally bred grain they feed their conventionally bred cows simply because it makes them grow faster) nor necessary (the most lucrative modifications are about pesticide use, but not all of them are) and therefore it would be better to focus energy on the things you really need to care about rather than an unreliable proxy like breeding vs. GMO.

nine_k 8y ago

Genetic engineering from 50-70 years ago was often hitting seeds with gamma rays. So yes, it's like not produced by a modern CNC, but with a traditional sledgehammer.

nradov 8y ago

There's no need to distinguish between selective breeding versus modern generic engineering. What matters is the output, not the technique.

will_brown 8y ago
I don’t necessarily agree. Do people care if they are eating a cow that has been bred for generations to grow faster and have more fat? Is that really the same as genetically modifiying corn so it won’t die when drowned with weed killers and pesticides that are still present on the foods consumers eat?
- yorwba 8y ago
  Conversely, do people care if they are eating a cow that has been genetically modified to grow faster and have more fat? Is that really the same as breeding corn for generations so it won't die when drowned with weed killers and pesticides that are still present on the foods consumers eat? The difference between your examples is not the genetic modification technique applied, but the result that was achieved. Maybe it would be simpler to just label the precise breed that was used, so consumers can check for themselves which properties they want to avoid.
  - will_brown 8y ago
    Well a lot of people are beginning to care if their cows are feed generically modified corn (ie grain fed) vs grass fed. And it’s not so much the gmo but the cows who are fed gmo corn are also loaded up with antibiotics because the pesticide laced grain makes them sick withthout it. And people don’t like eating antibiotic laden beef. I also think you are blurring the lines between breeding and gmo (ie turning genes on and off) which as a practical matter, what we are talking about is turning off genes in crops, so farmers can you drown their crops and pesticides.
    - yorwba 8y ago
      I'm intentionally blurring the lines between breeding and GMOs because if what you really want to avoid is over-use of pesticides and antibiotics, avoiding GMOs is neither sufficient (farmers will add antibiotics to the conventionally bred grain they feed their conventionally bred cows simply because it makes them grow faster) nor necessary (the most lucrative modifications are about pesticide use, but not all of them are) and therefore it would be better to focus energy on the things you really need to care about rather than an unreliable proxy like breeding vs. GMO.