Overview: Genetically Engineered Crops Will Not Solve the Global Food Crisis

• GM Watch (EU), July 16, 2008
  Straight to the Source
  
  

We've compiled a list of reports on claims about GM solving the food crisis.

When the President of the American Farm Bureau Federation spoke at the UK's National Farmers Union (NFU) conference back in February of this year, he had a clear message:

"I think the debate about higher prices and being able to meet the demand of people in the world for food is a perfect opportunity to make the case (for GMO crops)...

"We may have a window of opportunity here and I would encourage you to exploit that." http://www.planetark.com/avantgo/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsi...

That exploitation has occurred big time ever since, but the reasons advanced for the adoption of GM crops have been spectacularly misleading - or in the words of Prof Dennis Murphy, the pro-GM head of biotechnology at the University of Glamorgan: "they're making these claims about GM crops solving the problem of drought or feeding the world, that's bullshit." http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/5438/

The publication today of GM Freeze's report on GM and drought confirms exactly what Prof Murphy says. http://www.gmfreeze.org/uploads/drought_briefing_final.pdf

And the new report is just one in a whole list of recent reports and articles debunking the claims being made for GMOs as a magic solution for the food crisis.

MUST READ ARTICLE

Superb overview of the misleading hype being promoted about GM crops. "Let's be clear. As of this year, there are no commercialized GE crops that inherently increase yield. Similarly, there are no GE crops on the market that were engineered to resist drought, reduce fertilizer pollution or save soil. Not one." -- Doug Gurian-Sherman, senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington, formerly the EPA's biotech specialist and an advisor on biotech to the FDA, "Genetic engineering - a crop of hyperbole", The San Diego Union Tribune, 18 June 2008 http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080618/news_lz1...

REPORTS

*Debunking claims that GM crops are becoming the norm. Last year 97.6% of agricultural land globally was non-GM, and in the EU GM crops made up a mniscule percentage of agricultural land (0.21%). http://www.gmfreeze.org/uploads/GM_crops_land_area_final.pdf

*Debunking claims of increased yields with GM crops. Data comparing the yields of GM and conventionally bred crops show that GM crops have made no difference to yields, and in some cases have actually reduced yield by as much as 10%. http://www.gmfreeze.org/uploads/89D_yields_briefing%5B1%5...

*Debunking the claims of cheaper GM animal feed. GM animal feed has seen the fastest rate of feed price inflation! http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/animal%20feed/Briefing_anim... 08.pdf

*Debunking claims the EU's "zero-tolerance" policy on non-approved GMOs is no longer workable. http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/ZERO_TOLERANCE_Campaigner_b... http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/zero_tolerance.html

*Debunking claims of GM crops resistant to drought. http://www.gmfreeze.org/uploads/drought_briefing_final.pdf

Other recent reports:

*Briefing on solving the global food crisis http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/media_briefing/food_crisis.pdf

*Briefing on the main recommendations and findings of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) report, which found GM was not the answer to the food crisis. http://www.gmfreeze.org/uploads/special_IAASTD_brieifing.pdf