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Letter: Right priority

Published 22 January 2000

From Robin Oakley-Hill

Patrick Moore suggests that environmentalists should attack tobacco and leave GM foods alone
(25 December 1999, p 74). But tobacco is a public health issue.
It isn’t going to bring any civilisations down, merely reduce life expectancy by
a few years.

The worry over GM crops is that they might affect the everyday evolution of
the biosphere, and leave gaps where food plants should be. That sort of thing
does bring civilisations down.

The place for genetic engineering is in medicine.

Sevenoaks, Kent

Issue no. 2222 published 22 January 2000

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