Do you know about GMO?
This is the first of a series of articles that explain
GMO based on “GMO Myths and Truths” freely available at http://earthopensource.org
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) are plants and animals
that have had their genetic material altered in a way that cannot occur in
nature. It is completely different from
natural breeding or hybridization.
Natural and selective breeding can only take place between
closely related life forms, such as cats with cats, not dogs, and corn with
corn, not fish. Genetic Modification (GM) or Genetic Engineering (GE) does not
respect species boundaries. It splices fish genes into plants and spider genes
into goats.
Natural breeding succeeds when the resulting plant or animal
is better adapted to its environment. Selective breeding is done in order to
encourage desirable traits in crops, such as resistance to drought. GMO are
created to withstand drenching with herbicides, such as Roundup Ready crops, or
to produce their own pesticides, such as Bt corn. When whole fields of GM crops are sprayed,
everything dies while GMO plants survive.
In Canada GMO corn, soy, canola and sugar beet are grown.
Non organic animal feed contains GMO, which means milk and meat from the
animals contains GMO.
Next article: How GMO are made.
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