The Miami Group spokespersons claim that by the time genetically engineered food and feed reach the market, they have been tested and proven safe. Furthermore, they claim that since these products are intended for consumption rather than dispersion in fields, they really do not have any environmental impact. Their overriding concern is that biosafety rules might interfere with the grain trade. One U.S. delegate pointed out that U.S. grain shipments already mix GMOs with non-GMOs. The Like-Minded Group offered a different perspective on these issues.
Grain spills easily through the cracks and holes and then grows along the roadside.
And our farmers don't know or care about the 'intended use' of an exporter. If they see a grain, they want to grow it. That's how we got our agricultural biodiversity in the first place. The Like-Minded Group noted that testing in the United States or anywhere else does not guarantee that a GMO can be safely released in a distinct ecosystem. Rather than disregarding food safety concerns as Dr. Giddings of BIO alleged, it turned out, the Like-Minded Group simply had a dramatically different perspective than industry.