CASFS Blog & Forum

THIS SITE IS NO LONGER UPDATED.

PLEASE VISIT GROWAFARMER.ORG TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH CASFS AND THE UCSC FARM & GARDEN!

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

GE Crops Cause Increased Pesticide Use

Genetically engineered (GE) corn, soybeans and cotton have led to an overall increase of 318 million pounds of weed-killing herbicides - a type of pesticide - over the first 13 years of commercial use (1996 - 2008). The findings released in a new report by The Organic Center titled "Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use in the United States: The First Thirteen Years" were based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"The drastic increase in pesticide use with genetically engineered crops is due primarily to the rapid emergence of weeds resistant to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide," said Dr. Charles Benbrook, report author and chief scientist of The Organic Center. "With glyphosate-resistant weeds now infesting millions of acres, farmers face rising costs coupled with sometimes major yield losses, and the environmental impact of weed management systems will surely rise."

The report was funded by a coalition of non-governmental organizations including the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Center for Food Safety, the Cornerstone Campaign, Californians for GE-Free Agriculture, Greenpeace International and Rural Advancement Fund International USA.

A copy of the report can be downloaded at www.organic-center.org.

posted by CASFS 2006 @ 12:12 AM

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home