Download The biotechnology industry has aggressively touted GM as a

The ethics of GM Foods
GM foods have been the subject of much controversy. Advocates feel that GM foods will help provide
food to the world’s continually expanding population. Since the number of people on earth keeps
increasing (over 6 billion, and expected to double within 50 years), and the amount of land suitable for
farming remains constant, more food must be grown in the same amount of space. Genetic engineering
can make plants that will give farmers better yields through several different methods.
Crops can be harmed or destroyed by many different factors. Insects, weeds, disease, cold temperatures
and drought can all adversely affect plants resulting in lower yields for the farmer. Genetic engineering
techniques can be used to introduce genes, creating plants that are resistant or tolerant to these factors.
Bt corn is an example of the introduction of a pest resistance gene. Monsanto has created strains of
soybeans, corn, canola and cotton that are resistant to the weed-killer Roundup®. The weed-killer can
be sprayed over the entire crop, killing all plants except the transgenic crop intended to be grown.
Scientists have also taken a gene from a cold-water fish and introduced it into potatoes to protect the
seedlings against sudden frost. These methods all create plants that are more likely to survive and be
healthy, thereby increasing the production of farmer’s fields.
Genetic modification can also be used to change the properties of the crop, adding nutrients, making
them taste better, or reducing the growing time. A good example of adding nutrients to food is the
development of “golden” rice. Many countries in the world rely on rice as their primary food source.
Unfortunately, rice is missing many essential vitamins and minerals, so people whose diet is based on
rice are often malnourished. One of the most severe consequences of this is blindness caused by
vitamin A deficiency. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Institute for Plant
Sciences genetically engineered rice, making it high in vitamin A. The group hoped to distribute the
rice for free to any third world country requesting it.
This short briefing is a summary of a new Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) report that
looks behind the spin and exposes the reasons why GM crops cannot, and are unlikely ever, to
contribute to poverty reduction, global food security or sustainable farming:
• Firstly, hunger is chiefly attributable to poverty, not to a lack
of food production. For small farmers, this means a lack of
access to credit, land, inputs and technical support as well as
declining investment in agriculture by governments. For
urban dwellers, it means not having enough money to
purchase increasingly expensive food.
• Secondly, the vast majority of GM crops are not grown
by, or destined for, the world’s poor. They are used for
animal feed, biofuels, or highly processed food products
in rich countries.
Most commercial GM crops are grown by large farmers in a handful of countries (Brazil, Argentina
and the US) with industrialised, export-oriented agricultural sectors.
• Thirdly, it is widely accepted that GM crops do not increase
yield, and in some cases yield less than conventional crops.
• Fourthly, official data from major producer countries – US,
Argentina and Brazil – confirms that pesticide use increases
with GM crops, including the use of toxic chemicals banned in
some European countries. This raises costs for farmers and also
causes agronomic, environmental and health problems, mostly
affecting poor communities who live near intensive GM farms.
• Fifthly, the real beneficiaries of the GM system are biotech
companies which profit from patents, expensive GM seeds,
and increased pesticide sales. Poor farmers in contrast are
squeezed by escalating costs.