Two decades ago, when the very real scare over “mad cow” disease undermined people’s trust in the safety of the food chain, the news of GM food being sold in Britain was greeted with horror.
Yet the fact is that no one had been harmed from eating GM food, and there are now many millions of people around the world who eat it regularly. Similarly, there is no convincing evidence that growing GM crops per se is any more destructive to the environment than non-GM crops.
We revealed this week that British scientists are working on a GM variety of potato – the “super spud” – that is resistant to pests and storage damage as well as being more nutritious. If this boosts yields while diminishing reliance on environmentally damaging pesticides then surely this is a win-win development we cannot afford to miss.
Read full, original article: Growing gains: Unyielding opposition to GM crops ignores the wider picture
