What is Pro-GMO? Is it the opposite of Anti-GMO?
That is an interesting question. When I hear that someone is “pro” something, I think of advocates that pursue an expansion of their cause. The anti-GMO folks are a movement out to promote their agenda. Shouldn’t the Pro side be a counter movement? Where are the cheerleaders promoting more GMOs? I am speaking to large-scale efforts. I know there are nuanced voices on either side and that there are folks that promote the greater use of bioengineering in agriculture, but I wouldn’t say those folks have generated a large publicly active advocacy movement.
GE is ultimately just a tool in a tool chest. It is hard to image a movement that would encourage carpenters to use a claw hammer above all other hammer options. When GE is viewed as just one technique among many, then it makes sense that there is no movement to advocate that pharmaceutical companies, agricultural companies, universities, or plant breeders increase the usage of bioengineering technology. Much like that carpenter, it is up to them to use the best tool for the job. Perhaps that mind set contributed to the slow response to the anti-GMO movement and is how it gained so much traction. What was there to worry about? After all GE is just another tool.
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