Do farmers use more pesticides and fertilizers when they use GM (genetically modified) seeds?
Using GM seeds that are selected for the right environment can actually decrease the amount of pesticides a farmer must use. Let’s take a look at what’s going on in the industry today. One of the most common GM varieties is called Bt seed — it allows a crop to release a protein from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that acts as a natural pesticide to certain insects. Use of pesticides with Bt crops has drastically decreased. Another common GM variety enables a plant to resist the herbicide glyphosate. For example, Roundup® is a common glyphosate product. Roundup® Ready Corn, a GM product, can still grow when Roundup® is applied. For these crops, herbicide use has increased because farmers can apply the herbicide on all of their land. Glyphosate, however, is one of the mildest herbicides. It has toxicity 25 times less than caffeine. The ability to use glyphosate more frequently has enabled farmers to decrease use of more toxic herbicides. In the last 20 years, the use of GM seeds has reduced pesticide spraying by 8.1%. Because of this, the environmental impact associated with pesticide use on biotech crops has decreased by more than 18%.
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