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The key areas of controversy related to genetically modified food (GM food or GMO food) are whether such food should be labeled, the role of government regulators, the objectivity of scientific research and publication, the effect of genetically modified crops on health and the environment, the effect on pesticide resistance, the impact of such ...
After the ruling, glyphosate-resistant sugar beets could not be planted until USDA-APHIS filed an environmental impact statement (EIS), the purpose of which is to determine if environmental issues have negative effects on humans and the environment, and it may take two to three years to complete the study. After the EIS is completed, USDA-APHIS ...
Genetic pollution is a term for uncontrolled [1] [2] gene flow into wild populations. It is defined as "the dispersal of contaminated altered genes from genetically engineered organisms to natural organisms, esp. by cross-pollination", [3] but has come to be used in some broader ways.
As genetic modification is so fast, the environment may not be able to adapt and integrate the new organism into the ecosystem or it could have unwanted effects on its surroundings. [26] Other impacts on the environment include unnatural gene flow, modification of soil and water chemistry, and reduction of species diversity.
A significant environmental concern about using genetically modified crops is possible cross-breeding with related crops, giving them advantages over naturally occurring varieties. One example is a glyphosate-resistant rice crop that crossbreeds with a weedy relative, giving the weed a competitive advantage.
For example, in commenting on the Séralini affair, an incident that involved the retraction of a much-criticized paper which claimed harmful effects of GMOs in lab rats, American biologist PZ Myers said that anti-GMO activists were claiming the retraction was a part of "a conspiracy to Hide the Truth™". [7]
Genetically modified rice are rice strains that have been genetically modified (also called genetic engineering). Rice plants have been modified to increase micronutrients such as vitamin A , accelerate photosynthesis , tolerate herbicides, resist pests, increase grain size, generate nutrients, flavors or produce human proteins.
In 1986 the OSTP assigned regulatory approval of genetically modified plants in the US to the USDA, FDA and EPA. [10] The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was adopted on 29 January 2000 and entered into force on 11 September 2003. [11] It is an international treaty that governs the transfer, handling, and use of genetically modified (GM) organisms.