A GMO is any kind of organism, plant, or animal whose genetic material has been altered though genetic engineering. According to Lecia Bushak, a journalist with a major in journalism from NYU who specializes in covering mental health and international news, GMOs are used to create high-quality crops that can withstand certain pesticides and herbicides, making it easier to get rid of weeds (Bushak, 2015). While biotechnology like GMOs may not be able to solve hunger and malnutrition issues, it still plays an important role in helping to solve these problems within agriculture. However, some people feel that we should abandon biotechnology and “live in harmony with nature” (Chassy, 2007). With some fearing that changing the natural condition
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Instead, GMOs are managed relative to health, safety, and environmental legislation (Acosta, 2015). According to Luis Acosta, a Legal Information Analyst in the Public Services Division of the Law Library of Congress, the United States’s approach to limiting GMOs focuses on the origin of the products, instead of the methods used to produce them. In comparison to other countries, regulations regarding GMOs are in favor of their production, most likely relating to their significant impact on the economy of the U.S. (Acosta, 2015). However, as pointed out by Kenneth Noga, a managing editor of the Vermont Law Review, some counties in states like California, Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii, have put legislation in place to limit the use of GMOs. For example, in California, Mendocino, Marin, and Trinity Counties have all put laws into effect that prohibit the use of GMOs altogether (Noga, …show more content…
If the amount of approved GMOs is more than 0.9% of accidental presence, it is required that the food be labeled as such. GMOs that have not been approved, on the other hand, may not have any presence in food products whatsoever. As stated by John Davison, who was the research director at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (now retired), if a cargo contained non-approved GMOs, it would either be returned to its point of origin or destroyed (Davison, 2010). Germany, in particular, is known for its stringent policies. For example, if the presence of even a single pollen of an exploratory plant is found in any other agrarian product, a recall would be put into place, as well as the elimination of the product from the market. This is largely due to the enormous amount of pressure that has been placed upon politicians not only in the Green and the Social Democratic party, but in conservative parties, as well. For instance, Germany’s chancellor, Angela Markel, is a physicist and has previously expressed support for technology and rejected the banning of technology for political purposes. However, despite her own views, she has given up and acquiesced to the wishes of the opposition. With other more urgent crises occurring, major politicians like Markel do not see topics such as the implementation of a new crop breeding technique as important enough to fight, especially when
Instead, GMOs are managed relative to health, safety, and environmental legislation (Acosta, 2015). According to Luis Acosta, a Legal Information Analyst in the Public Services Division of the Law Library of Congress, the United States’s approach to limiting GMOs focuses on the origin of the products, instead of the methods used to produce them. In comparison to other countries, regulations regarding GMOs are in favor of their production, most likely relating to their significant impact on the economy of the U.S. (Acosta, 2015). However, as pointed out by Kenneth Noga, a managing editor of the Vermont Law Review, some counties in states like California, Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii, have put legislation in place to limit the use of GMOs. For example, in California, Mendocino, Marin, and Trinity Counties have all put laws into effect that prohibit the use of GMOs altogether (Noga, …show more content…
If the amount of approved GMOs is more than 0.9% of accidental presence, it is required that the food be labeled as such. GMOs that have not been approved, on the other hand, may not have any presence in food products whatsoever. As stated by John Davison, who was the research director at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (now retired), if a cargo contained non-approved GMOs, it would either be returned to its point of origin or destroyed (Davison, 2010). Germany, in particular, is known for its stringent policies. For example, if the presence of even a single pollen of an exploratory plant is found in any other agrarian product, a recall would be put into place, as well as the elimination of the product from the market. This is largely due to the enormous amount of pressure that has been placed upon politicians not only in the Green and the Social Democratic party, but in conservative parties, as well. For instance, Germany’s chancellor, Angela Markel, is a physicist and has previously expressed support for technology and rejected the banning of technology for political purposes. However, despite her own views, she has given up and acquiesced to the wishes of the opposition. With other more urgent crises occurring, major politicians like Markel do not see topics such as the implementation of a new crop breeding technique as important enough to fight, especially when