Re: GE concerns surface in Coldstream.
Coldstream residents deserve to know the real facts on genetically modified (GM) crops.
Canadians have access to one of the safest and most abundant food supplies in the world, thanks in part to plant biotechnology.
All new crops undergo extensive safety reviews by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada to ensure they are safe for people, animals and the environment.
The safety of genetically modified (GM) crops has been proven again and again by independent research and regulatory bodies around the world, including the World Health Organization.
These enhanced crops have been cultivated for well over a decade in Canada with no health or environmental safety concerns.
In fact, trillions of meals containing ingredients from GM crops have been consumed without a single substantiated case of any adverse health impacts.
It is no surprise that Canadian farmers have overwhelmingly chosen to grow GM varieties of corn, canola, and soybeans.
These varieties allow farmers to grow more food on less land, leaving valuable green spaces for wildlife and recreation.
Farmers are also able to minimize or even eliminate tilling the soil to control weeds, which enriches the soil and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
In terms of labeling, Canada currently labels based on nutrition and safety. To label GM foods would imply there is a safety concern where there is none. Consumers already have the choice to purchase non-GM foods through organic labeling.
We cannot afford to ban a technology that has such significant benefits.
It is only through innovation that farmers will be able to keep operating in an environmentally sustainable way while increasing their yields to produce enough safe food to feed Canadians and the rest of the world.
Ted Menzies,
President, CropLife Canada
