Another fear is that people may become resistant to antibiotics when they consume food processed from genetically modified crops. But genetic engineering, by which specific genes are transferred from one species to another, allows farmers to grow more food on less land, using less herbicide and pesticide. The biotech industry argues that public perception of health and environmental risks is based on misunderstandings. Plant breeders say transgenic crops benefit the environment because less herbicide and pesticide would be needed because the genetically modified seeds can fight weeds and insects. Sugar beet needs to be grown in a three to five year rotation with cereals and potatoes, onions and other vegetable crops to prevent a build-up of weed and insect resistance.
Conventional herbicides have to be applied early or they kill the beet.
Insects eat sugar beet only if there's nothing else available, May said, adding that it was a question of finding a balance between the beet and weeds. A swarm of aphids was expected after a mild winter in England, which meant more insects survived until the spring, but wet and windy weather suppressed the population in June and eased the problem. Genetically modified food products have already made deep inroads into European supermarkets. GM products include tomato puree, developed by Britain's Zeneca to prolong its shelf life, and a wide range of foodstuffs containing soy beans. An estimated two-thirds of food products contain varying amounts of soy but shoppers are unable to tell which are genetically modified.