By: Derrick Broze
A recent report released by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service highlights growing concerns over Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in the food supply. Michael Livingston, one of the authors of the report, stated, ”We are not characterizing them (GMO crops) as bad or good. We are just providing information.” The report shows that between 1984 and 2002 GMO varieties of crops have increased exponentially with more than 7,800 releases of Genetically Engineered Corn, 2,200 for soybeans, more than 1,100 for cotton and around 900 releases of Genetically Engineered potatoes. Despite this growth, and promises from bio-technology companies such as Monsanto and Sygenta, the ERS researchers found that, ” the yields of herbicide-tolerant or insect-resistant seeds may be occasionally lower than the yields of conventional varieties.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/24/usda-gmo-report-idUSL1N0LT16M20140224
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err-economic-research-report/err162.aspx#.Uwyn9PRdV8t
