Genetic Engineering
in Agriculture
Genetic Engineering in Agriculture
Genetic technologies are advancing quickly, but government oversight has not kept up.
This is more than a scientific change. It is shifting control over our food system, environment, and public health into the hands of a small number of corporations.
Genetic engineering in agriculture is often developed and used to increase corporate profits — all while the environmental, biological, and social risks are left for the public and the planet to deal with.
Despite industry claims that these technologies are precise, genetic engineering can cause unexpected changes in an organism’s DNA that may not be understood for years. Once genetically engineered organisms are released into the environment — especially those that can reproduce and spread — these effects may be impossible to undo.
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Genetic engineering is the process of changing an organism’s genetic material to give it specific traits. In agriculture, it can be used to change crops and other organisms in ways that may not occur naturally.
Genetic engineering can be used to develop crops with specific traits or characteristics. These technologies are increasingly being developed and used in agriculture, often through products and technologies controlled and patented by large corporations.
No. While industry often describes genetic engineering as precise, changing an organism’s genetic material can cause unintended changes elsewhere in its genome. The effects of these changes may not be fully understood for years.
Some genetically engineered organisms may be able to reproduce and spread in the wild. If they cause unexpected environmental or biological effects, those impacts may be difficult — or impossible — to reverse once the organisms are released.
Friends of the Earth is concerned that genetic engineering is advancing faster than public oversight and that decisions about these technologies are increasingly shaped by corporations with financial interests in their development and use.
The potential environmental, biological, and social risks should not be left for the public and the planet to deal with.
Friends of the Earth supports strong public oversight and the precautionary principle — the idea that we should prevent potential harm before it occurs, especially when the consequences could be serious or irreversible.
Decisions about whether and how these technologies are used should be made transparently, with meaningful public participation, rather than being left primarily to corporations.
Organic agriculture provides an alternative approach to farming that prohibits GMOs and toxic pesticides. Friends of the Earth supports organic agriculture as part of a food system that prioritizes environmental health, farmer and worker well-being, and public accountability.
Friends of the Earth advocates for rigorous public oversight of genetic engineering in agriculture, stronger safeguards, and greater democratic control over how these technologies are assessed, approved, and used. We also work to strengthen precaution-based policies at the state, national, and international levels.
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