GM Campaigners with science on their side

摘要

GM crops are presented as a rational development, while concerns about safety are portrayed as hysterical. We examine the evidence and find out who really has science on their side. Biotechnology companies have gone out of their way to promote genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as sate but the evidence simply does not exist. Scientists have scant knowledge of genes and how they work - we are merely on the threshold of discovery. But from the little we know so far, evidence of major health risksis extensive and mounting. Uncertainty about safety exists with other technologies, such as the development of pharmaceutical drugs. But, unlike new drugs, new GMOs do not undergo rigorous safety testing to make sure each variety is safe. In fact there is no proof of safety of any approved GMO. How did GMOs escape such scrutiny? The transnational seed and agro-chemical companies that develop them have managed to persuade governments that this technology is simply an extension of traditional breeding methods.