How GM crops have increased the use of danger pesticides

How GM crops have increased the use of danger pesticides and created superweeds and toxin-resistant insects

By
Sean Poulter

PUBLISHED: 16:11, 2 October 2012

Planting GM crops has led to an increase rather than a decrease in the use of pesticides in the last 16 years, according to US scientists.

The researchers said that the plants have caused superweeds and
toxin-resistant insects to emerge, meaning farmers have not only had to use more pesticides on their crops overall, but are also using older and more dangerous chemicals.

The findings dramatically undermine the case for adopting the crops, which were sold to farmers and shoppers on the basis that they would reduce the need to be treated with powerful chemicals.


Genetically modified plants now dominate US agriculture, and the situation will only get worse, the professor warns
The team at Washington State
University found the weight of chemicals used on US farms has increased
by 183million kilos since GM crops were introduced in 1996.

Of that total, herbicide use increased
over the 16-year period by 239million kilos while insecticide use
decreased by 56million kilos.

Most GM crops produced to date – such
as corn, soya and cotton – have been modified in the laboratory to make
them immune to certain weedkillers, such as Monsanto’s RoundUp.

It means the GM plants can thrive while the surrounding weeds are wiped out.
However, the reality is that a number
of weeds have developed an immunity to the chemical and are now able to
swamp farmers’ fields.

The biggest threats are giant ragweed
and pigweed, which grows at a rate of more than one inch a day and
reaches a height of three metres.




In order to fight rapidly spreading resistant
weeds, farmers are being forced to expand use of older, higher-risk
herbicides, it is reported
The so-called perfect superweed is
extremely hardy, produces 10,000 seeds at a time and will smother food
crops in the same field.

The overall effect is that desperate farmers are now using a cocktail of many different chemicals to try and tame the weeds.

A number of GM plants, including some
types of corn, have been modified to include a toxin called Bt that
kills predator insects that feed on them.

But again, these insects are
developing an immunity to the toxin included in the plants, which means
farmers have to resort to chemical sprays.

Study leader Professor Charles
Benbrook, of the university’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and
Natural Resources, said: ‘Resistant weeds have become a major problem
for many farmers reliant on GM crops and are now driving up the volume
of herbicide needed each year by about 25 per cent.





The published research comes two weeks after a feeding trial in rats raised concerns

‘Things are getting worse, fast. In
order to deal with rapidly spreading resistant weeds, farmers are being
forced to expand use of older, higher-risk herbicides.

‘To stop corn and cotton insects from
developing resistance to Bt, farmers planting Bt crops are being asked
to spray the insecticides that Bt corn and cotton were designed to
displace.’

Monsanto said they had no immediate comment on the findings.

A spokesman said: ‘We’re looking at this. Our experts haven’t been able to access the supporting data as yet.’

Professor Benbrook’s paper is
published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Sciences Europe and
comes two weeks after a feeding trial in rats raised concerns that
consuming GM corn might trigger a rise in breast cancer and organ
damage.

Recently, scientists who have
published studies critical of GM crops and food have suffered a wave of
well-orchestrated attacks designed to undermine their work by supporters
of the technology.


Source:-

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2211737/How-GM-crops-increased-use-danger-pesticides-created-superweeds-toxin-resistant-insects.html