2015 Logan County Farm Outlook Magazine Lincoln Daily News.com March 26, 2015 13
GMOs and Biotechnology:
Facts and Fiction
G
MOs and biotechnology have been a
topic of debate since their introduction.
Values attached to genetic engineering and
biotechnology have confronted concerns about safety.
When considering GMOs, it is important to weigh
both values and threats. Every safety debate has
tradeoffs, so one must determine whether the risks
are worth the perils. Genetic Engineering “has been
hailed by some as an indispensable tool for solving
the world’s agricultural problems, and denounced by
others as an example of human overreaching fraught
with unknown potentially catastrophic dangers,”
according the Union of Concerned Scientists. With
conflicting information, it can be challenging to
separate fact from fiction.
Responding to the scientific debate, Alison Van
Eenennaamat states that while some doubt that GE
crops have benefitted farmers or the environment,
there are measurable benefits such as a 100 billion
dollar increase in “crop production” . . . a decrease
in use of pesticides, a reduction in emissions of CO2,
a decrease in land use of 123 million hectares from
1996-2012, and a reduction in poverty for over “16.5
million small farmers and their families.”
Additionally, a recent report from the National
Research Council of the U.S. National Academy of
Sciences defends biotechnology, concluding, “U.S.
farmers growing biotech crops . . . are realizing
substantial economic and environmental benefits —
lower production costs, fewer pest problems, reduced
pesticide use, and better yields — compared with
conventional crops.”
Agricultural studies in numerous countries conclude
that genetically engineered seeds increase crop
yields, according to Barrows, Sexton, and Zilberman.
They also note that agricultural biotechnology
can potentially increase per hectare yields, thus
boosting supply and preserving lands, “The Impact of
Agricultural Biotechnology.”
These seeds also go through testing and research
before being approved.
The National Corn Growers
Association stated in their recent update:
GM seeds take an average of 13 years to bring to
market because of extensive research as well as
regulatory approvals conducted by the USDA, EPA
and FDA, and dozens of other regulatory agencies
around the world. Scientific authorities such as the U.S.
National Academies of Science, the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Health
Organization, the American Medical Association and
the American Association for the Advancement of
Science have looked at hundreds of scientific studies
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