[gnulinux996]

> I feel like this kind of discussion hinges on a misguided belief that farmers are not very smart businessmen.

I feel like assuming that the farmers are competent businessmen capable of understanding the ups and downs of GMOs is in disagreement with reality and mostly used to drive "free marketeering / deregulation" agendas.

[georgefrowny]

It's the same argument they make for why we don't need food safety rules. Intelligent and rational people will be able to work out that the cheap carcinogenic additive is bad and therefore won't buy it and the company will do better and it's just fine. Right? Right? If they don't they're probably too stupid and probably poor and only have themselves to blame. It's just business.

Never mind that the the exact same kind of people are simultaneous lobbying for the elimination of (quote) "unjustified trade restrictions or commercial requirements, such as labeling, that affect new technologies, including biotechnology" (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/19/4201)