My chief objection to the anti-RNAi faction is that they don't really understand what it is. Now, granted, much of science these days can only be understood with an advanced degree, and much of what scientists do even they don't fully understand. But the anti-RNAi group seems to oppose it because  1) it's new; 2) it's Monsanto; 3) it's GMO.

None of these things are accurate. 1) These techniques have been in use for a long time, trials with bees have been going on for years. 2) Monsanto is not the only one who is experimenting with it (though as was pointed out, they have the money to do the trials). 3) RNAi effects can be used to alter gene expression -- not the genes themselves. 

Government regulators are on the job, it won't be released until it has been rigorously tested. However, if you think the EPA and the USDA are corrupt, on the take, etc. this will not persuade you. I think the laws are adequate to protect the public, that testing is going to be efficient and appropriate, and that it would be ridiculous to stand in the way of a radical new approach to pest control because it's different. 

* * *
examples offer clear evidence for potential applications
for RNAi for the control of insect pests, manipulation of insect
disease vectors, and management of beneficial insects, together
with concerns about the stability of RNAi strategies in the face of
selection for resistance. Overlying these considerations is a very
real uncertainty regarding the environmental and ecological risks
posed by these technologies. The Federal regulatory framework
for estimating the ecological risks associated with RNAi technologies
is still in development, and a number of critical gaps remain
including potential toxicity to non-target organisms (see Section
4.1), environmental fate, and importantly, the risk of resistance
evolution in target pests. However, US regulatory
agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the
Department of Agriculture have provided preliminary assessments
suggesting that data requirements for RNAi traits may be reduced
based primarily on the lack of a plant incorporated protein, such as
a Bt toxin. 

Jeffrey G. Scott (Department of Entomology, Cornell University), et al.
Towards the elements of successful insect RNAi
Journal of Insect Physiology 59 (2013) 1212–1221

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html