The adoption of genetically engineered (GE) or biotech crops has not helped reduce soil erosion, claims the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and a vice-president author of EWG who wrote “Debunking the Myth that GE Crops Reduce Soil Loss.”
Craig Cox wrote, “GE varieties have made little or no contribution to cutting soil erosion in the United States, and they post frightening risks to soil and water quality.”
He contends the availability of GE crops and the easy-to-use low-volume pesticides associated with growing such crops had nothing to do with no-till and conservation tillage being adopted. The adoption of these practices only coincides with the enactment of the 1985 farm bill, according to Cox.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) responded to the EWG claim with a very short statement from BIO spokeswoman Karen Batra. She said, "The benefits of [biotechnology]—including the increase of no tillage and conservation tillage practices on the farm—are well documented. But the fact is, every farmer needs access to as many tools as possible, and any effort to limit that access benefits neither the farmer nor the environment,"
The EWG wants biotech crops eliminated because they see them as having no value. A previous report authored by a Ramon Seidler, Ph.D., for EWG saw no evidence that fewer pesticides or more effective pesticides developed in conjunction with GE crops are worthwhile. His conclusion was exactly the same as what Cox referenced for the way to grow crops.
“Rapid and significant changes in the management of agricultural production systems are essential. What is recommended are agricultural practices (aka ‘sustainable, agroecological, or biological practices’) that replace the resources consumed by intense commercial agriculture through the use of various cover-cropping strategies, ecosystem-friendly crop rotations and less use of toxic chemicals.”
Source: www.agprofessional.com