To understand the pros and cons of genetic engineering, read on.

Petition: No. 108

Like any other science, genetic engineering also has pros and cons.

Photo provided by Flickr
By all standards, Nobel Prize laureates are usually considered the finest intellects that humanity has to offer, notwithstanding the fact that tens of thousands of other fine scientific minds and many other serious thinkers are supportive of biotechnology in agriculture. Add to that the simple fact that we all have been eating the biotechnology-derived products for the last twenty years without a single case of adverse effects linked to the biotechnological intervention as such, and non-experts should be able to arrive at the same conclusions that these fine minds have arrived at. And that is that biotechnology has already become part of the standard toolset used in plant breeding in combination with all other technologies developed and used since the inception of agriculture as we know it.

Genetically engineered crops may supersede natural weeds.

Photo provided by Pexels
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is considered to be one of the most harmful forms of malnutrition in the developing world. It can cause blindness, limit growth, and weaken the body's immune system, thereby increasing morbidity and mortality. The condition affects more than 140 million pre-school children in 118 nations, and more than seven million pregnant women. It is probably the leading cause of child blindness in developing countries.

They may prove to be harmful for natural plants.

Photo provided by Flickr
Are you aware of the very important ? If you're interested in reading about the pro GMO campaign and learn more about agricultural biotechnology follow the link provided with the initiative's name, and if you like and agree with the content please Please sign on at the following page: and do share with your colleagues"

Undesirable genetic mutations can lead to allergies in crops.

August 2012. Researchers from USDA (Boston and Houston), Chinese instituions in Hunan, Beijing, and Hangzhou, and NIH (Bethesda), have determined that the β-carotene in is as effective as pure β-carotene in oil and better than that in spinach at providing vitamin A to children. A bowl of ∼100 to 150 g cooked (50 g dry weight) can provide ∼60% of the Chinese Recommended Nutrient Intake of vitamin A for 6-8-year-old children. The paper, with data based on a registered clinal trial, has been published by the . And there is good reason to conduct these studies in China, considering the low vitamin A status of a great proportion of Chinese children (see .

While treating one defect, the therapy may lead to another.

This site is maintained by the Humanitarian Board for the purpose of providing information on the background and progress of the Humanitarian Project.

Figure 2: Modern Plant Breeding

16. Canada's laws and regulations, such as the Patent Act and Competition Act, help to make sure that the Canadian marketplace is fair and competitive, for farmers and for large and small corporations. Constantly, the Government objective is to ensure that an appropriate balance is maintained between protecting intellectual property rights and facilitating a competitive supply of products for Canadian consumers.

Cloning can be detrimental to individuality.

17. For example, the development of new plant and seed varieties is currently protected under section 5 of the Plant Breeders' Rights ("PBR") Act. Implicit within the PBR Act is a farmer's privilege: farmers who purchase seeds from the PBR holder are entitled to grow a crop from those seeds, and are further entitled to save new seeds from that grown crop to use for planting any future crops in the farmers' fields. Seed developers may, in some cases, be entitled to seek patent protection for their innovations. A recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling (Monsanto Canada Inc v. Schmeiser) clarifies that farmers' privilege does not supercede the rights of patent holders in Canada. This balance between the farmer's privilege and the rights of patent holders does not reduce the amount of choice found within the agriculture sector. Farmers will continue to evaluate whether a specific seed will give them the best return on their investment, taking into account whether its use will require them to purchase new seed each year. As an example, most of the commercial corn crop produced in Canada, and a large percentage of Canada's annual canola crop, is produced using hybrid seeds that require farmers to purchase new seeds for planting each year.