Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
continuously, people fear that cross-pollination between GM plants and
conventional plants may result in new, unintended adaptations that will
enter the food chain and pose unanticipated health and environmental
risks.
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Examples of ecological disasters due to GM agriculture can be
observed in Argentina, where a monoculture of Monsanto's glyphosate-
tolerant soybeans led to abundant use of the herbicide glyphosate (due
to tolerant weeds).
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This caused harm to other crops, the emergence of
super-weeds, and changes in soil microbacteria.
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This and other exam-
ples give rise to the public's fears that propagators of GM agriculture
(multinational corporations, scientists, and regulators) fail to consider
broader ramifications for ecosystems and societal interests and values.
In opposition to GM foods, many people now advocate for sustain-
able food production, organic methods of farming, and “ethical con-
sumerism.” They believe GM agriculture is not a sustainable devel-
opment because some GM crops kill nontarget species, speed the
evolution of more resistant versions of the target pest species, and rapidly
proliferate at the expense of biodiversity. Everywhere in Europe NGOs,
together with local and regional politicians, call for GMO-free zones
for traditional or organic agriculture.
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In addition, GM crops challenge
the EU concept of coexistence because organic and conventional seeds
are vulnerable to cross-pollination and other pathways of contamination
from GM seeds.
Recognition of Benefits
If the public recognized tangible benefits in GM agriculture, GM crops
and foods would gain wider acceptance. A recent study of various types
52
E. F. Einsiedel & J. Medlock, A Public Consultation on Plant Molecular Farming, 8
AgBioForum
, 26-32 (2005).
53
Friends of the Earth. 2008. Agriculture and foods: Who benefits from GM crops? The
rise in pesticide use. http://www.foei.org/en/resources/publications/food-sovereignty/
2008/gmcrops2008full.pdf.
54
Argentina's Bitter Harvest Branford, S. (2004) New Scientist, 17 April 2004, pp. 40-43.
http://www.grain.org/research/contamination.cfm?id=95.
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http://www.gmo-free-regions.org/ and http://www.gmo-free-europe.org/.
