Letter: Ban GM imports

Sir: Steve Connor ("Stone age people modified crops", 18 March) uses the term "genetic modification" in such a way that it loses all meaning.

There is a fundamental difference between the North American aborigine's first attempts to crossbreed grains and today's genetically modified crops. The former demonstrated a holistic approach where desired behaviour was rewarded and fortuitous crossbreeds selected for further use. The latter is an atomic approach where a single component is changed and the consequences measured largely in isolation. One look at modern medicine shows how the atomic approach often produces quick answers later understood to be wrong.

JULIAN LUTTRELL

Burwell, Cambridgeshire

Sir: Once again, this time over labelling of GM foods, a government has been panicked by a media scare into hasty and ill-considered legislation. Perhaps when all measures of this kind are due for renewal they could be consolidated into a single Knee-Jerk (Unnecessary and Unworkable Regulations) Act. This should ensure that genetically modified pit-bull terriers cannot own handguns.

G A C GARNER

Bradninch, Devon