I clarified in my response to NN that my concern primarily regards roundup resistance as opposed to GM in general. That out of the way.
But if the reason in question is 'this would be popular with voters' that doesn't tell us much about the scientific merits of the case.
Ahh the old dumb voter dismissal, good one. Pretty hollow since you didn't actually tell me much about the scientific merits of the case either. A quick look at some of the literature does raise concerns,
This paper takes a look at the benefits and risks of GMOs.
Unknown effects on human health: A recent articlepublished in Lancet examined the effects of GM potatoes on the digestive tract in rats [23, 24]. Moreover, the gene introduced into the potatoes was a snowdrop flowerlectin, a substance known to be toxic to mammals.
Why GM a known toxic substance into potatoes?
Caffeine writes:
Note the above only applies to the cultivation of GM crops. People eat food made from GM crops everywhere in Europe. If the real concern of those banning GM crop production is that consuming GM foods is bad for health, then they're idiots, since this is not being prevented.
In the EU, if a food contains or consists of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or contains ingredients produced from GMOs, this must be indicated on the label.
From
food.gov.uk. So all GMOs to a certain extent require labelling in the EU. A member state who bans local production of GMOs ensures access to local non-GMO products, further, due to labelling laws everyone has the ability to make the choice. You're basically calling them idiots for not being authoritarian enough, ironically if you ask me.
Caff writes:
There is no legitimate reason to single out one specific in the absence of any causal mechanism.
Correct, in case you hadn't noticed we're examining a potential causal mechanism right now. Forgive me if I am mistaken but aren't you in biochemistry or something? Perhaps you could use your knowledge to inform an ignorant pleb as to why exactly he shouldn't have any concern. I'm not quoting conspiracy websites here but genuine science as best I can tell, I'll need more than your word to counter the concerns raised by other scientists mate.
In America, there has been a substantial age-independent decline in testosterone that does not appear attributable to observed changes in explanatory factors including health status and lifestyle characteristics such as smoking and obesity. The estimated declines were larger than the cross sectional declines typically associated with age, as shown in Figure 1.
Science in Society Archive
There are studies which directly link Roundup to lower testosterone levels in other mammals. There are studies showing the direct impact of Roundup on human cells including reproductive cells. I concede that it is narrow minded to blame one thing entirely. It is dishonest to deny the real concern for causality in this case, however. Diets and lifestyles vary greatly among the population at any given time, Roundup use on staple crops impacts pretty much everyone regardless of their individual choices. It is therefore a more viable causal candidate for a trend which spans many lifestyle factors and age groups.