Non-GMO Food is more Beneficial to Society than GMO Food

I. GMOs Are Not Unhealthy While a few environmental advocacy groups have urged the discontiuation of GMO use, there is a broad concensus within the scientific community and other reliable organizations (such as the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Medical Association, the Royal Society of Medicine, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and others) who say otherwise. An almost exclusive majority says that GMO foods are no more likely to cause ill effects to humans than non-GMO food, and that GMO fooods pose no greater risk to humans than non-GMO food. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]All GMOs are is a small genetic mutation that makes the plant more hardy, nutritious, and delicious. By this comparison, "All foods contain DNA - about a teaspoon of DNA in a pound of food. Adding one gene adds roughly 1 part in a million or ~0.0001%. DNA is digested starting in your mouth. Tiny fragments get through the digestive process. This is always happening when we eat food. It doesn't change or genes [or cause ill-effects]. .. GM foods are better analyzed than any in human history. "[8] There is no cause for concern over a slight change in the gentic composition in crops. In fact, "As Pamela Ronald, a UC-Davis plant geneticist, pointed out last year in Scientific American: 'There is broad scientific consensus that genetically engineered crops currently on the market are safe to eat. After 14 years of cultivation and a cumulative total of 2 billion acres planted, no adverse health or environmental effects have resulted from commercialization of genetically engineered crops. '"[9] That is pretty long-term - far greater than some other "long-term" studies that have been published. Not only that, but "second-generation" GMO crops are being produced that eliminate some of the ill-effects of GMOs. Examples include: Removal or decreased levels of antinutritional factors, toxins, allergens Introduction of or increased levels of health promoting factors (e. g. antioxidants) Modification of the levels of macro or micronutrients (such as fats and vitamins or minerals) These newly improved GMOs will make an already great product better, as such traits are likely to increase the complexity of the existing safety assessment process. [10]Finally, most countries have not "banned" GMOs: "Very few countries explicitly 'ban' GMOs. In most cases, governments have simply not yet 'approved' various GMO crops for cultivation, or for import, or for human consumption. "[11]All things considered, the scientific consensus concerned on the safety of GMOs is one of the strongest in science. These foods have been studied more than any other, and everything tells us that they're safe. [12]II. GMOs Positively Impact FarmersActually, my opponent's assertions aren't really grounded in truth. Farmers in developed, semi-developed, and undeveloped countries have benefitted from GMOs - here is a short collection of why farmers around the world believe this:First, for the economic benefits of GMOs: "According to a just-released economic analysis by U. K. -based PG Economics of the impacts of genetic engineering in agriculture from 1996-2011, the net economic benefit at the farm level in 2011 was $19.8 billion, which translates to an average increase in income of $329 per acre. For the entire 16-year period, the increment in global farm income was $98.2 billion—49% of which resulted from lower pest predation and weed-related losses and improved genetics, while the remainder came from reductions in the costs of production. "[13] GMOs give farmers, on average, more money per crop. Not only do farmers enthusiasticlly support GMOs for their ability to resist long-feared perils such as drought, excessive temperature deviation, lower pest levels, less pesticide use, and other things, today, more than 14 million farmers in 25 countries produce GM crops — an 80-fold increase since 1996, when GM seeds were first commercialized, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, a nonprofit that monitors the use of GM crops. In fact, these advantages are reflected by a "repeat index" - the percentage of farmers who choose to plant genetically engineered crops again after trying them once. This index approaches 100%. [13][14]Here is what some farmers have had to say about GMOs:"Thirty tons per acre is a good crop for organic corn", he [Justin Tolley] said, "with GMseeds, the output increases to about 35 tons per acre and up to as much as 40 tons. " "We see an increase in production because we limit compaction and don't go over fields so many times with pesticide applications," said Dave Hyde, seed sales and marketing manager for J. R. Simplot. "Nationwide, we’re seeing probably a six bushel increase per acre. " "GMOs grow better in our environment," Hyde said. , "We still have to spray, but instead of maybe five times a year, we’re doing it once or twice. "[14] As for the poorer countries: "In 2011, just over half of the gains in farm income accrued to farmers in developing countries, 90% of whom are cash poor and small operators. "[13] For example, my opponent mentions India. However, here is the raw data from India: "Farmers in India have benefited from GMOs: German researchers reported that farmers in India growing Bt cotton increased their yield by 24%, their profit by 50% and raised their living standards by 18%. "[15]Overall, farmers all over the world are more satisifed with GMO crops than they ever have been with traditional crops. It has definately had a positive effect on them in more ways than one. Sources[1]: . http://www.nap.edu...[2]: . http://www.aaas.org...[3]: . http://gmopundit.blogspot.com...[4]: . http://jrs.sagepub.com...[5]: . http://www.bis.gov.uk...[6]: . http://www.nap.edu...[7]: . http://www.euractiv.com...[8]: . http://www.pitt.edu...[9]: . http://www.slate.com...[10]: ILSI Europe: Genetic modification technology and food. Consumer Health and Safety. Concise Monograph. [11]: . http://www.bestfoodfacts.org...[12]: . http://rameznaam.com...[13]: . http://online.wsj.com...[14]: . http://magicvalley.com...[15]: . http://www.biofortified.org...