Farmers report some of the companies are eliminating the extra charge entirely just to sell what now appears to be an oversupply of GM seed. And presently, there appears no right way to do it. The organisations representing tens of thousands of farmers include the National Family Farm Coalition and the American Corn Growers Association. They claim poor safety testing of GM crops could leave farmers legally liable for damage caused by pollen drift and other environmen- tal impacts. We know there is potential pollen transfer by insects up to four or five miles.
Organic growers are likely to do the same.
Those will keep US lawyers even busier. Farmers may have to test their seed, because even non-GM seed has contained some GM material, he adds. Mr Goldberg says members of his organisation are not opposed to GM crops, but do not believe the risks of growing such crops have been adequately explored. Farmers did not realise that the Food and Drug Administration declared GM crops safe solely on the basis of research provided by biotech companies, he says. We need a moratorium on GM crops and animals so their risks can be explored.