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THIRD WORLD NETWORK BIOSAFETY INFORMATION SERVICE 27 October 2004
Dear friends and colleagues, RE: NEW STUDY SHOWS INCREASED PESTICIDES USE IN GM CROPS A study by Dr Charles Benbrook, a former Executive Director of the Board on Agriculture of the US National Academy of Science for seven-years, shows that pesticides use has increased by millions of pounds in the growing of GM crops in the last five years, contrary to claims by GM proponents that GM crops in the US has led to a major reduction in pesticide use Benbrook’s latest technical report, drawing on nine years of US Dept of Agriculture data, demonstrates unequivocally that in the first three years of commercial use, the claim of GM proponents was justified. But since 1999 it has not been. The report says that GE corn, soybeans and cotton have led to a 122 million pound increase in pesticide use since 1996. While Bt crops have reduced insecticide use by about 15.6 million pounds over this period, herbicides tolerant crops have increased herbicide use 138 million pounds. “Bt crops have reduced insecticide use on corn and cotton about 5 percent, while herbicides tolerant technology has increased herbicide use about 5 percent across the three major crops. But since so much more herbicide is used on corn, soybeans, and cotton, compared to the volume of insecticide applied to corn and cotton, overall pesticide use has risen about 4.1 percent on acres planted to GE varieties.” The increase in herbicide use on herbicides tolerant crop acres is not surprising as weed scientists have warned for about a decade that heavy reliance on herbicides tolerant crops would trigger changes in weed communities and resistance, in turn forcing farmers to apply additional herbicides and/or increase herbicide rates of application. The full report is available at: http://www.biotech-info.net/Full_version_first_nine.pdf
With best wishes, Lim
Li Lin and Chee Yoke Heong Email: twnet@po.jaring.my Website: www.twnside.org.sg
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