Consumers do not wish to eat food that has been
treated with pesticides because of potential health
hazards, and run-off of agricultural wastes from
excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers can
poison the water supply and cause harm to the
environment.
Help eliminate the
application of chemical
pesticides
Drought Tolerance
Creating plants that can
withstand long periods of
drought or high salt content in
soil and groundwater will help
people to grow crops in formerly
inhospitable places
Disease Resistance
Disease resistance There are
many viruses, fungi and
bacteria that cause plant
diseases. Plant biologists are
working to create plants with
genetically-engineered
resistance to these diseases
Nutrition
Scientists claim
that their
genetically altered
crops are
nutritionally
superior to
naturally occurring
crops. eg. extra
Vitamins
Reduce World Hunger
GM seeds can produce
bigger, more reliable crops.
GM seeds will help poor
farmers grow more food for
themselves and more
profitable crops for the
marketplace
HARMFUL?
Introducing allergens
and toxins to food
Soy allergies jumped 50% in the
U.K. just after GM soy was
introduced
GM crops which have
additional proteins or altered
genetic composition could result
in toxic and allergic reactions in
certain people.
Antibiotic
Resistance
Genes
Hazardous genes from
GE foods can become
inserted into your own
genes.
Reproductive Effects
There is substantial evidence of
toxicity and reproductive effects
associated with GM foods.
Sheep that grazed on Bt-cotton
plants in India exhibited nasal
discharge, reddish and erosive
mouth lesions, cough, bloat,
diarrhea, and occasional
red-colored urine.
Crop Contamination
The growing of GM
crops could result in
cross-pollination
between GM crops and
non-GM and organic
crops thereby
contaminating them.
Unhealthy
Genes inserted into GM soy, for
example, can transfer into the DNA
of bacteria living inside us
Animal studies showing
organ damage,
gastrointestinal and immune
system disorders,
accelerated aging, and
infertility
Increase Herbicide Use
Most GM crops are
engineered to be "herbicide
tolerant"
Between 1996 and 2008,
Farmers sprayed an extra 383
million pounds of herbicide on
GMCs. Overuse of Roundup
results in "superweeds," resistant
to the herbicide. This is causing
farmers to use even more toxic
herbicides every year.