GM farms 'use more pesticides'

News Cuttings

If you are unfamiliar with this subject, click here first for a brief introduction.

London TIMES July 8 1999
UNITED STATES

GM farms 'use more pesticides'

BY ADAM SHERWIN

A KEY justification for genetically modified crops has been thrown
into doubt by new American Government research.

Many farmers who have converted to GM production are using just as
much pesticide as their counterparts who have stuck with conventional
crops.

Some farmers are apparently using more than they did before, according
to figures published in New Scientist.

The US Department of Agriculture research also revealed that yields of
GM crops were in most cases no better than traditional ones. The
figures challenge biotechnology companies' insistence that GM crops
assist farming efficiency and reduce the need for pesticides.

The department split America into regions and studied the performance
of cotton, maize and soya beans which had been engineered to be
resistant to insect pests or to the herbicide glyphosate.

It discovered that in seven of the 12 categories farmers using GM
crops had to add the same quantities of pesticides to their fields as
those growing non-modified crops.

The research, which used figures for 1997 and 1998, also found that
after dividing the US into 18 regions, yields were no better in 12 of
them.

Department officials admit that, at face value, the figures do not
provide much support for those who argue genetic engineering will
bring about a revolution in agriculture and Friends of the Earth
claimed the research undermined the arguments of the biotechnology
industry.

But Ralph Heimlich, an economic analyst, said that the study could be
misleading, since farmers who have embraced GM crops might have had
worse problems with pests to begin with.

There were also some success stories: insect-resistant GM maize in
America's midwest produced a 30 per cent greater yield than ordinary
crops.

Home / Overview / News Cuttings / Other Related Articles / Contact