Why are people opposing GM crops?!
Why are people opposing GM crops?
In 2050 it is estimated that the world's population will reach 9 billion. (http://npg.org/facts/world_pop_year.htm... as one source.)
With this in mind take note on how inefficient 'organic' farming is. (I put 'organic' in quotes because I think it's a useless phrase: humans have evolved to digest organic material, all food is organic.)
Organic farmers use plows, mainly to get rid of weeds. Plowing damages the soil. "[Plowing] stirs up the soil, turns it over and over and makes it homogeneous and lifeless. It breaks up birds' nests and drives away small mammals. It causes run-off of nitrogen and phosphorus...causes soil erosion..." (Dick Taverne's "March of Unreason" page 103)
With GM crops, you can place the gene to specifically target a single insect (the crop's main enemy). This will eliminate the need to use pesticides, and since pesticides kill hundreds of kinds of insects, which birds feed on, it will benefit the birds as well.
Reasons: for or against?
Answers:
I'm firmly against trans-genic ANYTHING! Farmers are also starting to reject the trans-genic seedstocks also. Why? The Star-Link corn debacle for one. That cost them a LOT of money! They've seen that the newer Round-Up ready plants that were modified with 'genetic shotgun' methods have a nasty habit of spreading the gene to the weeds they're trying to control. As a result they've had to switch to more expensive methods of control. They've also seen that since the spread of seedstocks like Star-Link modified to create B.T. proteins internally that some insects are starting to pick up resistance to what used to be a 100% safe, inexpensive, effective method of controlling insect larvae. If you had ANY kind of farm background you'd already know this! You'd also know that 'organic' results in an average 30% drop in crop yield and isn't vastly inefficient (look everyone GreenGhost is defending 'organic'
You really never have been on any type of farm have you? It's obvious if you think the main use of plows is to get rid of weeds! In that paragraph I do see where you got your misinformation from though. Might I suggest you enroll in a decent agricultural college or actually spend a year or so working a farm to learn how things REALLY work? Looking at your last paragraph I'd lean towards you getting a college education and also taking classes on genetic manipulation techniques!
Most companies are no longer using targeted genetic engineering! They instead use methods like Monsanto's 'genetic shotgun' semi-random approach to inserting desired genetic sequences. The results are QUITE different than the much more laborious gene-splicing techniques that most people associate with laboratory hybridization. 'Shotgun genes' have a NASTY habit of not confining themselves to the targeted plant and they spread to other species (once again, look up Star-Link and Round-Up ready genes).
I've got no problem with same species gene splicing like was done to create new soybean cultivars (since they don't hybridize). For most crops these kinds of GMO seedstocks are not any different than traditional hybrids that follow Mendels 3/1 laws.
Trans-genics are what most folks automatically assume when they see GMO and those ARE a problem as are any seedstocks created through random methods like the 'shotgun' just aren't stable.
BTW; if you REALLY want to feed the world and stop hunger the quickest, easiest and most efficient method of accomplishing that is to globally ban "food" animal production! THAT'S the epitome of inefficiency!! Don't believe me? Go look up the report the FAO prepared for the UN.
Source(s):
Vegetarians do not eat fish. A fish eater is a Piscivore. Spread the correct word!
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/piscivo...
Against. Because it ain't nice to fool with Mother Nature!
against:
we do not know the long term effects
it causes issues for those farmers who do not use those seeds leading to court cases where gm companies sue these farms (and win) because their seeds came to the farmers property due to uncontrolled circumstances (ie the wind, truck drivers carrying seeds on roads passing farmlands....etc)
we need food variety so that if one crop is effected then we still have others but the "success" of gms could lead to disaster
35 years ago you could get all your daily nutrients by eating one peach. Today you would have to eat 53 peaches to get the same effect. Our soil is being robbed of nutrients due to cattle production. Almost all of the food you buy at a grocery store is engineered in some way. Our foods now days are brightly colored or made to not produce seeds. They may look like normal fruits and vegetables, but only organic produce gives us the most nutrients with such a depletion of nutrients happening to our farm lands.
Definitely against. Nature knows what it's doing, we have no right to interfere. It's also bad for insects, and without insects there will be no birds, etc etc.
The real answer is to reduce the human population. Finding ways to feed us all is NOT the right answer.