Letter: Growing poverty

THANK YOU for your excellent comments on the current government spin on the genetic manipulation of our food. Your readers should be aware how absurd it is to talk about GM plants "with new resistance to pests, so fewer chemicals will be needed". "Pest resistance" is a misleading way of describing plants which generate their own, internal toxins. The poisons, therefore, are likely to be present throughout the plant. This would represent a huge increase in toxin application compared with a one- off spraying with chemicals.

GEORGE STIDOLPH

Glasgow