OPINION: Fear is holding back GM uptake

The following is an excerpt of an opinion piece from CropLife Australia's Matthew Cossey in the Weekly Times about barriers to acceptance of GMOs. 

Humanity has been benefiting from plant science innovations since the Egyptians first bred edible corn more than 2000 years ago.

Genetically modified crops are simply the next natural step in plant breeding. Unfortunately, it is non-scientific regulations, in conjunction with some very successful and fear campaigns by activist groups, that have impeded the full benefits of these innovations being delivered to farmers and the community.

In the early 1990s, the impending introduction of GM crops prompted countries to create corresponding regulatory systems. Governments believed that strong independent and scientifically robust regulatory frameworks would ensure community confidence in the safety of GM products.

This would have been the case if the world was rational and evidence-based, and where misleading fearmongering didn’t prevail.

To read the entire piece, please visit the Weekly Times.