Are genetically engineered crops good for farmers?
In the USA and Canada, where GE crops have now been grown for 5 years, a coalition of 33 farm and agriculture groups recently issued a warning that “Genetic engineering in agriculture has significantly increased the economic uncertainty of family farmers throughout the U.S. and the world. The agrochemical companies that produce GE seeds require farmers to sign legal agreements specifying how to farm and promising not to save seed. They also expect farmers to pay royalties. Companies such as Monsanto then aggressively sue farmers who they believe are using their seeds without signing such agreements. Unfortunately due to contamination many farmers are finding they have GE crops on their land whether they asked for it or not. In Canada, Monsanto sued a canola grower called Percy Schmeiser because GE canola was growing on his land as a result of contamination. Even though Schmeiser did not want the contamination Monsanto argued successfully that he owed them money anyway. Conventional gro
