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GM Crops and Pesticide Use

Proponents of genetically modified crops have long held that this technology is environmentally friendly because it reduces the need for pesticides. But a recent study by researchers at Cornell University reveals that simply isn’t true.

Farmers in China who planted genetically modified cotton did see an immediate drop in pesticide use, the study found, but after just a few years they ended up using more pesticides than they had before they switched to GM crops.

Why? Because once they stopped using chemicals to kill bollworm, other pests took advantage of the lack of pesticides and moved in. So what looked like a 70 percent drop in pesticide use quickly turned into a 40 percent increase. What’s more, costs to the farmers went up because genetically modified crops are more expensive. The alleged savings comes from reduced expenditures on chemicals, which, it turns out, are short-lived.

Critics of GM crops are concerned that they may also be harming biodiversity. Others are concerned that so little research has been done to determine the potential consequences of eating genetically modified foods.

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To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org