sorry i just realised how trite that post is compared to the greater discussion on GM foods. I think we’ve seen the damage that intense farming has done to crops in the long term (blight especially) so GM on top of that would really be killing off arrable land for any future generations of farmers. Not enough is known about the longterm effects of GM but we have seen how virus in hospitals have mutated to exist in (near) sterile environments so GM could encourage a particularly nasty strain of resistant virus that would decimate organic crop.

There are a growing number of people in Dublin here shifting to allotments and small farmholds as a way of circumventing the rotten veg supplied by supermarkets and possibly providing a small income by way of sunday market sales. So thats something encouraging for the government to build on.

I’d be curious to see what Trevor Sargent can do to convince exisiting farmers there is money in crops while reducing intense farming and shifting to biodiversity and organic methods. The price is still very high for organic goods here (and in some cases understandably due to the heavy loss of crop from pests) but an increased yield would help bring these down.

Paul – Have you been to the English Market in Cork? Cork has quite a few really good markets. I definitely think more needs to be done to promote them and small farmers. The fruit and veg,in supermarkets is often dodgy.

And I would love to know what prompted you to discover Irish slugs’ favorite beverage!

J – The sad truth is that I’ve never really taken him seriously myself. I have never considered myself to be one of those people caught up in the hysteria following Princess Diana’s death. But I’m starting to think that I am one of those people who decided that Prince Charles was a villain and never heard him out on anything.

I hope more people start listening to him.

I’m starting to like the Prince a whole lot.

If the Greens don’t push through some serious results in terms of setting up people’s markets and promoting small farms and organic produce, they won’t have justified their inclusion in government for me. It’s a pity that the IFA have given Trevor Sargent for promoting organic produce.

Bryan,

i too have become increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress the Greens have made in government. We rightfully expected innovative developments in Green government policy and have yet to see it bar the odd little announcement here and there which isnt exactly life changing. But i’ll stick to the food related issue for the moment

As for the markets well thats more down to local councillors than at Government level. There are markets in most towns and those without should be pushing their council to get them set up again. The problem at the moment is a lot of the markets in Dublin are run by the same crowd (not the dublin coco they just facilitate the market in designated areas) and so theres no real competition in price which i think is a key factor in bolstering peoples use of them and getting them to expand beyond the sunday temporary set up to a full time facility like that of the English Market in Cork. Its terrible to think that a country with a wonderful array of agriculutural and fishing produce cant sustain a permanent market, akin to those of Barcelona, in our capitol.

There is the co op near Pearse St and the smithfield fruit market but neither are truly well advertised to the public. Cork’s market really is a gem to the city.

Insulin, anybody? GM has great potential, the prince is a bit of a loon – though doubtless well-meaning – so try looking at the science instead of believing the fairy tales.

Paul – Maybe high rents get in the way of private individuals setting up markets in Dublin. Or maybe it’s just that there isn’t the market going culture here that exists in places like Barcelona? Either way, it’s a pity.

Tim – the sad thing is that I have no idea how much GM food is sold in the supermrkets. I don’t even know if it has to be labelled.

Jellybean – Hey, leave my new found friend alone. And insulin is different. A normal process is manipulated for the production of a natural substance. With GM food, the very DNA of plants is altered. And then, the effectively mutant new organism is fed to people. That process could potentially be associated with health issues like increased incidence of cancers in the future. There hasn’t been enough testing done to know for sure. Besides, surely there is a line which ethically you can’t cross without playing God?

Ollie – Thanks for that link. I’m not a ‘Green’ either, but I think Trevor Sargent doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. The fact that he has the foresight to help educate children in such a creative way is impressive.