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In reply to the discussion: Defying Science And Common Sense, New York Bill Would Ban GMOs In Vaccines [View all]pnwmom
(109,055 posts)which clearly show that overall pesticide use has INCREASED, not decreased, since GMO plants came into use.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bethhoffman/2013/07/02/gmo-crops-mean-more-herbicide-not-less/
But a new study released by Food & Water Watch yesterday finds the goal of reduced chemical use has not panned out as planned. In fact, according to the USDA and EPA data used in the report, the quick adoption of genetically engineered crops by farmers has increased herbicide use over the past 9 years in the U.S. The report follows on the heels of another such study by Washington State University research professor Charles Benbrook just last year.
Both reports focus on superweeds. It turns out that spraying a pesticide repeatedly selects for weeds which also resist the chemical. Ever more resistant weeds are then bred, able to withstand increasing amounts and often different forms of herbicide.
At the center of debate is the pesticide glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto MON +0.38%s Round Up. Food & Water Watch found that the total volume of glyphosate applied to the three biggest GE crops corn, cotton and soybeans increased 10-fold from 15 million pounds in 1996 to 159 million pounds in 2012. Overall pesticide use decreased only in the first few years GE crops were used (42 percent between 1998 and 2001) and has since then risen by 26 percent from 2001 to 2010.
By 2011 there were also three times as many herbicide-resistant weeds found in farmers fields as there were in 2001.
This has meant huge profits for agribusinesses developing and selling genetically engineered seeds, herbicides and pesticides. Seed revenues have septupled (increased seven fold) since 1998.
SNIP
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