The GMO Debate

Genetic engineering (GE) – the technology that directly manipulates the genes of an organism, be it a plant, vertebrate or bacteria – has been with us for nearly 50 years. And it’s a subject that remains fraught with controversy. Expat Living contributor CATHIE HEARNS shares her thoughts on the topic.

- Cathie Hearns

The first genetically modified (GM) food crop was introduced to the US market in the mid-1990s. By 2018, nearly 475 million acres of GM crops including maize, soybeans, rapeseed, cotton, papaya, potatoes, rice, squash, sugar beet and tomatoes had been planted across 26 countries.

While humans have used selective breeding and cross breeding for thousands of years to bring about more desirable traits in plants and animals, these methods can take a long time to develop and it is difficult to make very specific changes. However, by using genetic engineering (GE) techniques, scientists claim they can make more precise changes in a much shorter time period. This technology has been used to create crops that are promoted to have higher yields, a greater resistance to pests and herbicide tolerance, for example.

Ramping up the chemicals

While this all sounds great on paper, reality has painted a different picture. Yields may not have increased significantly but the emergence of superweeds and superbugs, resistant to both the GE crops and their associated pesticides, have. The introduction of these crops in the US resulted in a 239 million kilogram increase in the amount of herbicides being used between 1996 and 2011; in 2011 alone, GE crops used 20 percent more pesticides on average than non-GE crops. This has created a burden of increased costs to farmers and health risks to everyone involved along the chain, from growers to consumers.