Do herbicide-tolerant crops have higher chemical residues?
The use of herbicide tolerant crops is likely to result in a shift either in the type of herbicide that is used during the cultivation of the crop or the pattern of usage but will not necessarily result in higher chemical residues. Herbicide tolerant crops exist that have been developed using conventional plant breeding therefore the issue of herbicide tolerance is not specific to GM crops. Residues of any agricultural chemicals, for example herbicides, can only legally be present in food if the residues comply with specific Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for agricultural and veterinary chemicals. The MRLs apply irrespective of whether the food is derived from conventional (non-GM) or GM crops. Australia and New Zealand independently and separately develop MRLs for agricultural and veterinary chemicals in food. For New Zealand, MRLs for agricultural compounds are included in the New Zealand (Maximum Residue Limits of Agricultural Compounds) Food Standards, 2007(and subsequent amendments
