great study carried out by scientists from cornell university in ithaca, new york, that looks into the use of pesticides and genetically modified (GM) crops. the big biotech firms promote the benefits of GM crops stating that GM crops are safer for the environment as they require less pesticides and toxins. this was based on three year study began in 1997 where farmers growing GM cotton did actually reduce pesticide use by 70% and make more money then conventional farmers. but that was just a three year focus. a longer term look (7 years +) reveals that the farmers growing GM crops use just as much pesticide as their conventional farming counterparts. the US study also revealed that the GM cotton farmers were spending far more money in the long run because GM cotton seed is three times the price of conventional cotton seed. factoring in price of grain and increased pesticide & toxin use makes GM cotton more expensive then conventional cotton or organic cotton in the long run. the article states that the findings of the study “will undermine claims by the biotechnology industry that GM technology can boost food production without necessarily damaging the environment with pesticides.” it seems that short term studies on GM crops tend to promote GM crops while longer term studies of the effects of GM crops tend to refute the positive results of the short term GM crop findings. long term studies also reveal the harm of GM crops and the very negative side effects, such as the creation of ’superweeds’ that are resistant to pesticides.
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