> Most GM and other 'supplied' seed plants are incapable of 
> reproduction
> in the 2nd generation (the one that ends up on the fields). This is 
> also
> true for most non-GM plant seeds supplied to farmers. The producers
> would not want the farmers to set up their own seed factory after 
> buying
> once ...

This is the so called "Terminator gene" effect.
In fact it is NOT a feature of products on the market - or at least, 
the sellers say that they think that none of their products have any 
of these genes. Either or both of these claims may be untrue :-).

The terminator gene was trialled and proposed for market use and, 
fortunately, so far, the outcry caused it to be withdrawn from 
commercial use.

Consider, quite apart from the ethical and commercial aspects, imagine 
if such an effect could 'accidentally" spread, even though impossible, 
into unrelated products. At least it fails the Darwin test nicely. 
That last comment MAY sound like an argument for its safety, but 
nature and Murphy have the fine ability to perpetuate the harmful even 
when the effect of the harmful is to destroy itself. eg given Ebola's 
immense virulence and vvv high 'success' rate and necessarily complete 
eradication very soon after every outbreak, isn't it surprising that 
it keeps coming back? We are not in this case surprised because we 
posit some so far unfound reservoir creature which acts as a carrier. 
Similarly (or totally differently) mechanisms could be conceived (My 
messrs Murphy and nature if not initially by us) to deliver terminator 
gene 'infections' from an unaffected source. [[Yes I know that 
mechanisms may not appear to allow this to occur.]]



        RM 

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