LONDON — The controversy over genetically modified crops has long focused on largely unsubstantiated fears that they are unsafe to eat.
But
an extensive examination by The New York Times indicates that the
debate has missed a more basic problem — genetic modification in the
United States and Canada has not accelerated increases in crop yields or
led to an overall reduction in the use of chemical pesticides.
The
promise of genetic modification was twofold: By making crops immune to
the effects of weedkillers and inherently resistant to many pests, they
would grow so robustly that they would become indispensable to feeding
the world’s growing population, while also requiring fewer applications
of sprayed pesticides.
Twenty
years ago, Europe largely rejected genetic modification at the same
time the United States and Canada were embracing it. Comparing results
on the two continents, using independent data as well as academic and
industry research, shows how the technology has fallen short of the
promise.
An
analysis by The Times using United Nations data showed that the United
States and Canada have gained no discernible advantage in yields — food
per acre — when measured against Western Europe, a region with
comparably modernized agricultural producers like France and Germany.
Also, a recent National Academy of Sciences report
found that “there was little evidence” that the introduction of
genetically modified crops in the United States had led to yield gains
beyond those seen in conventional crops.
At
the same time, herbicide use has increased in the United States, even
as major crops like corn, soybeans and cotton have been converted to
modified varieties. And the United States has fallen behind Europe’s
biggest producer, France, in reducing the overall use of pesticides,
which includes both herbicides and insecticides.
One
measure, contained in data from the United States Geological Survey,
shows the stark difference in the use of pesticides. Since genetically
modified crops were introduced in the United States two decades ago for
crops like corn, cotton and soybeans, the use of toxins that kill
insects and fungi has fallen by a third, but the spraying of herbicides,
which are used in much higher volumes, has risen by 21 percent.
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