Unlike America, Europe has traditionally been highly cautious of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) – specifically, crops for animal feed and human consumption.
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But now, the script is changing.
Last month the European Commission approved seven genetically modified crops for farmers to grow there. They include three varieties of corn, two varieties of soybeans, one variety of rapeseed and one variety of cotton. It also renewed the authorizations for two corn varieties and one rapeseed crop.
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Meanwhile, in the U.S., concerns are raging not about the safety of GMO crops, but about farmers’ overuse of the herbicides used to control weeds in these crops, and in general, about herbicides’ impact of soil quality.
The big problem is that weeds are developing resistance to popular herbicides.
If there’s any good to come of this, it that it’s forcing agriculture to find new and more sustainable ways to control weeds…. Some of the approaches revolve around developing new herbicides. That’s costly and takes years. But when used properly, herbicides are an important part of a crop protection plan. They just can’t be the entire plan.
And that’s one lesson Europe needs to learn as it opens up to GMOs.
