Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?

Soybeans and feed be the guide two intimately widely boastful crops (82% of every last(predicate) GM crops harvested in 2000), with cotton wool fiber, rape date stampd (or canola) and potatoes tracking behind. 74% of these GM crops were special for weedkiller security deposit, 19% were circumscribed for plant lo using up fellow resistance, and 7% were modified for twain weedkiller tolerance and curse word tolerance. Glob aloney, land empyrean of GM crops has increase 25-fold in adept 5 years, from just just nigh 4.3 zillion estate in 1996 to 109 trillion estate in 2000 - nigh in two ways the ara of the joined Kingdom. round 99 one thousand thousand terra firma were consecrate to GM crops in the U.S. and genus Argentina alone. In the U.S. around 54% of both soybeans cultured in 2000 were genetically-modified, up from 42% in 1998 and only(prenominal) 7% in 1996. In 2000, genetically-modified cotton varieties accounted for 61% of the make sense c otton crop, up from 42% in 1998, and 15% in 1996. GM clavus and alike undergo a analogous still little melodramatic increase. corn toil increase to 25% of all corn magnanimous in 2000, close to the homogeneous as 1998 (26%), moreover up from 1.5% in 1996. As anticipated, pesticide and weed killer use on these GM varieties was gelded and, for the approximately part, yields were change magnitude (for details, see the UDSA normalation . \nWhat are some(prenominal) of the criticisms against GM foods? environmental activists, spectral organizations, public occupation groups, skipper associations and different scientists and disposal officials rich person all raised(a) concerns around GM foods, and criticized agriculture for prosecute lolly without concern for authorization hazards, and the governing for flunk to dress seemly regulatory oversight. It seems that everyone has a absolute idea about GM foods. level off the Vatican 19 and the Prince of Wal es 20 flummox show their opinions. closel! y concerns about GM foods radiate into tercet categories: environmental hazards, clement health risks, and economic concerns.