The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis.
[Editor’s note: The original blog post provides esponses to 20 of the most frequently asked questions about GMOs. This excerpt contains only a selected few. The author’s original list format has been adjusted for clarity.]
Do we know GMOs are safe for the long term?
-The consensus is GMOs are safe.
-In science you cannot prove a negative. In science this is called the precautionary principle. Are your cell phones safe? Is driving safe? You can never definitively prove something is safe.
What about Monarch Butterflies?
-Farmers get paid to grow crops, not Milk Weed. As they have cleaned up their land, there is less milk weed. This would have happened with or without GMOs.
-We need to look at increasing Monarch host plants in their migration paths. This can be done in non-crop land areas.
I heard glyphosate is toxic?
-It has a toxicity rating (LD50) that is safer than caffeine, salt, aspirin or nicotine. If caffeine were a pesticide it would not receive registration in Canada today because it is too toxic.
Why all the pressure against GMOs?
-Special interest and activist groups cannot sell memberships and raise money without fear….think bees, butterflies and GMOs.
-It is much easier to sell higher priced specialty foods (think non-gluten) or organic foods if you make the population scared of how food is produced. It is easy to sell fear.
-An estimated $2.5 Billion annually distributed through over 300 disparate groups whose mission is to discredit agriculture and GMO science specifically creating fear to drive a higher priced food agenda.
Read full, original post: TOP TWENTY GMO FAQ’s
