Welcome to GMWatch
Keep up to date with the latest news on the issue of genetically modified (GM) food and crops and find out about the deceptive PR campaigns being used to promote GM worldwide.
News and Comment from GMWatch
10 Reasons We Don't Need GM Foods
With the cost of food recently skyrocketing – hitting not just shoppers but the poor and hungry in the developing world – genetically modified (GM) foods are once again being promoted as the way to feed the world. But this is little short of a confidence trick. Far from needing more GM foods, there are urgent reasons why we need to ban them altogether. Find out more.
|
|
Research, Briefings, Reports, Books
|
Myth Busting - behind the hype
What GM crops are being grown?
- Only a handful of commodity crops comprise virtually 100% of GM agriculture.
- These crops typically go into animal feed, fibre, oils and heavily processed foods - the "stealth GMOs."
- GM rice, wheat, tomatoes, sweetcorn, potatoes and popcorn have all been rejected as unacceptable in the global marketplace.
- These GM crops can be identified and boycotted by consumers much more easily than "stealth GMOs."
- One of the few exceptions, GM papaya cultivation in Hawaii, has been declining over several years.
- Existing GM seeds are expensive and their use ties farmers to the pesticides and synthetic fertilizers GMOs require.
- Most GM investment continues to go into a small number of crops and traits targeted towards large-scale commercial farming.
- Aid monies that go into GMOs, divert funding from proven low-tech agricultural approaches and infrastructure improvements that are more appropriate for small and limited-resource producers.
|
