The Cons of The Cons of Genetically Genetically Modified FoodsModified Foods

How Genetically Modified foods are

•lessening crop diversity,

•interfering with pesticides and

•how it might mess up evolution

Crop Diversity

• “ It is worth remembering that the Green Revolution has contributed to the "loss of three-quarters of the genetic diversity of major food crops and that the rate of erosion continues at close to two percent per annum”  

Pat Roy Mooney, "First Parts: Putting the Particulars Together", Development Dialogue, April 1998, page 70

Existing Crop Diversity Problems Biodiversity is lost because of its preference for monoculture Crops are generally engineered to be resistant to herbicides : they are

devastating to impact on wildlife. Fields of GM crops could starve birds and insects

An exaplanation:

The main idea behind genetically engineered crops is expanding monocultures of the same variety evolved for a single function.

GM foods companies develop few varieties of a seed to fit the means of machine handling. This causes a need for a consistent size and texture . Additionally, they are based on high nutrient inputs and petrochemical herbicides. These chemicals wipe out most things leading to starvation for birds.

Monocultures will be more developed and this will  deflate agricultural biodiversity which may lead to a mass ecological

 weakness.  

Safety of Pesticides Bt: a pesticide that protects crops from insects. It

therefore cuts costs and increases efficiency - should not be swallowed, breathed, or gotten in cuts (as per EPA standards)

Super-weeds• Genetically engineered

traits are usually passed on and therefore make future generation very resistant

• It may lead to super-weeds that will be very hard to kill

Messing With Evolution and Natural Processes

Genetically engineering foods does not always necessarily help the plant to better survive in

its environment. In addition to reducing biodiversity, genetically modifying food

introduces new genes into some species’ gene pools. This could potentially lead to “messed up” hybrids. Also, it causes alien forms and

poses a threat to interfering with evolution.

Plum + Apricot = Pluot?

What if something along the line got out of hand?What if we completely loose the original form of an organism ?What if we have famines again (like the potato famine in Ireland)?What if we accidentally engineer a highly deadly organism?What if we are implicating ourselves with a long term genetic mishap? What if GM foods are detrimental to our health in the long run?What if…

Genetically Modifying foods is not a good idea

"The Pros and Cons of GE Food." Columban. 28 Apr. 2009      <http://www.columban.com/stateofplanet4.htm#_edn7>.

Picture credit: – blog.mlive.com – waynesword.palomar.edu – www.imagesofanthropology.com