U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright 1. Biotechnology is employed all around us in many everyday products, from the clothes we wear to the cheese we eat. Today, biotechnology employs modern scientific techniques to allow us to improve or modify plants, animals and microorganisms with greater precision and predictability. Consumers should have the opportunity to choose from the widest possible array of safe products.
Responsible biotechnology can offer enormous potential benefits.
It is in the best interest of developing and developed countries to support additional research to help biotechnology achieve its full potential. By allowing farmers to reduce the use of herbicides and pesticides, the first generation of biotechnology products is helping to reduce herbicide and pesticide use, and future products are expected to yield more environmental benefits. Reduced herbicide and pesticide use means a smaller risk of toxic contamination of both surface and groundwater. In addition, herbicides used in conjunction with genetically engineered plants are often safer for the environment than the herbicides they replace. Bioengineered crops also may reduce the need for farming practices, such as tillage, that result in soil loss.