GM foods-where do we cross the line Discuss Essay

GM foods-where do we cross the line Discuss - Essay Example Farmers are involved for making better quality foods which are pest resistant and more nutritious. It can be produced with lesser gestation period and taste better than the natural produce. Traits of different plants are used to produce a better and richer quality of food. "Thirteen countries grew genetically-engineered crops commercially in 2000, and of these, the U.S. produced the majority. In 2000, 68% of all GM crops were grown by U.S. farmers. In comparison, Argentina, Canada and China produced only 23%, 7% and 1%, respectively. Other countries that grew commercial GM crops in 2000 are Australia, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Mexico, Romania, South Africa, Spain, and Uruguay. Soybeans and corn are the top two most widely grown crops (82% of all GM crops harvested in 2000), with cotton, rapeseed (or canola) and potatoes trailing behind. 74% of these GM crops were modified for herbicide tolerance, 19% were modified for insect pest resistance, and 7% were modified for both herbicide tolerance and pest tolerance. Globally, acreage of GM crops has increased 25-fold in just 5 years, from approximately 4.3 million acres in 1996 to 109 million acres in 2000 - almost twice the area of the United Kingdom. Approximately 99 million acres were devoted to GM crops in the U.S. and Argentina alone. In the U.In the U.S., approximately 54% of all soybeans cultivated in 2000 were genetically-modified, up from 42% in 1998 and only 7% in 1996. In 2000, genetically-modified cotton varieties accounted for 61% of the total cotton crop, up from 42% in 1998, and 15% in 1996. GM corn and also experienced a similar but less dramatic increase. Corn production increased to 25% of all corn grown in 2000, about the same as 1998 (26%), but up from 1.5% in 1996. As anticipated, pesticide and herbicide use on these GM varieties was slashed and, for the most part, yields were increased." (Whitman, 2000) According to Aigner, genetically modified plants are unwanted by both consumers and farmers. The minister for the environment, Sigmar Gabriel, has suggested that Germany follow the example of "countries like France that have imposed a unilateral ban on GM maize cultivation". Furthermore, Gabriel recommended that national policy be reviewed before the start of spring planting. According to a report in GMO Compass (2009), despite the several debates and bans, the cultivation of genetically modified plants continues to increase worldwide. In 2008, GM crops rose by a figure of 9.4 per cent to occupy 125 million hectares. GM plants are employed in 25 countries, of which Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Egypt are the newest. For soybean, the area occupied by GM varieties expanded to 65.8 mil. hectares (2007: 58.6), maize to 37.3 (35.2), cotton to 15.5 (15.0), and rapeseed to 5.9 (5.0). GM varieties represent 72 per cent of the global production of soybean and 47 per cent of cotton. These figures are taken from the yearly report by the agro-biotechnology agency ISAAA (International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications) on the cultivation of GM plants. The report was published on 11 February in Nairobi (Kenya). Genetically Modified Crops Across the World An "estimate says that there are almost 30000 different products on grocery store shelves are "modified." That's largely because many processed foods contain soy. Half of North

Treatment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Treatment - Essay Example Which self-help groups (12-step and non-12-step groups) discussed in the textbook is available in your community or neighboring community? How many meetings of each group are offered per week and what are the venues? If a group is not available, state that. Most of the groups are the 12-step groups and majority of them meet three times in a week while others meet twice in a week. Since there are three groups, they each have their own venue to avoid clash of the days of the meeting but all these areas are in halls. One has the social hall, the other the gymnasium in the high school and the last one meets in the elementary school’s hall. Given your response to the above two questions, which groups’ meetings are feasible for a person to attend? That is, are all the self-help groups mentioned in the textbook represented in your community neighboring community? The most feasible for an addict that is still working is the 12-step group since daily presence is not needed, but if the addict is truly not-functional, then they can try the non 12-step program even if not available in the neighborhood as most are in-house like the St. Jude Retreat mentioned above. Not all the groups are available and only the 12-step group is but not the