"In a recent column, the Hound stated that “even he draws the line at petty, childish insults”. Very commendable too, that higher-ground claim, but it turns out the Hound was insincere and is happy to call people “nutters” whenever it suits him. Characterising members of an organisation that seeks to keep the New Zealand countryside free of genetically-modified crops, thus protecting our international reputation for safe farm-grown products is probably not what a child would do, but is certainly petty. The Hound went on to claim that “some deaths” (there were hundreds) of Southland dairy cows that were fed herbicide-tolerant swedes were the result of “the high sugar content in the fodder beet they had been eating”, revealing a disturbing lack of awareness around the issue of the poisoned cows. I’m a person who believes genetically-engineered crops present a risk to our agricultural industry and that the careful and inventive work of previous generations of New Zealand farmers is being unnecessarily threatened by those in the industry who champion genetic engineering. The Hound will say I’m “flogging a dead horse” but without using a single petty or childish insult, I'm instead "drawing my line in the sand".
Robert Guyton
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