Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
that are intrinsically pest-resistant, instead of conventional crops that
require the broad-scale application of toxic chemical pesticides and other
agrochemicals, can provide a cascade of health and environmental bene-
fits, such as avoid exposing farmers and their families to toxic chemicals,
prevent toxic contamination of public water supplies and fishing areas,
and make agricultural activities more environmentally sustainable.
Opponents contest these claims and present many arguments for
resisting GM agriculture, including that growing and consuming a food
crop containing genes from unrelated species violates nature, confounds
adherence to dietary regimes ordained by religion or by personal choice,
and could pose new risks to human and animal health over the long
term. They warn that the new genetic content of GM crops will be
released and flow into, pollinate, or otherwise cause contamination of
related wild plants and conventional crops; eliminate insect and plant
species; destabilize ecosystems and food systems; and cause loss of bio-
diversity and other irreversible ecological harms. Some of these risk
claims have been evaluated by industry and government and found to
be plausible, such as that pest-killing GM crops will eradicate certain
insect species that are necessary for the survival of birds and other
wildlife, and that the few insects of such species that survive because
of their superior resistance will have progeny that are similarly resis-
tant, thereby accelerating the evolution of super-resistant insects. Studies
prompted by these and other concerns have, in some instances, led to
more stringent requirements on the siting and configuration of GM crop-
growing.
Opponents have also sought to refute claims that GM agriculture
will benefit poor countries, arguing that it will instead cause social dislo-
cation in agrarian regions by displacing small-scale subsistence farming
with large-scale agribusiness owned and controlled by large companies
remotely based in developed nations, and that consumers of the new
foods will be exposed to allergenic risks and dietary disorders. Finally,
there are deep fears in the poorer nations that they will be used as sub-
jects of experimentation with new GM crops by the multinational firms
