Do GMOs contaminate the growing of “organic” crops?
Farmers who want their crops to be certified as “organic” are currently not allowed to plant GMO varieties. If pollen drifts in from GMO crops nearby, will the crops of these organic farmers then contain seeds with GMO genes? This difficulty of “co-existence” between GMO crops and non-GMO organic crops is currently being debated, particularly in Europe. Some organic growers cite this problem as a reason to ban the planting of GMOs entirely. Since it is only possible for GMO pollen to spread to plants of the same species, the amount of contamination that can occur is usually quite limited. For example, on an organic farm next to a GMO maize field, the only risk of contamination would be to maize. Very few of the other crop species that are now being grown organically (especially fruits and vegetables) are currently available in GMO form, which eliminates the possibility of contamination.
