GM foods should be prohibited - 2 essays (one for agree and one for disagree )

Biotechnology companies all over the world are developing different types of genetically modified (GM) crops. However, not enough is known about these crops on our health and the environment. Interfering with nature in this way should be prohibited. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

(Disagree)

Genetically Modified (GM) crops can be produced in greater quantity, have more nutritional value and also do not need insecticides and pesticides. Despite these benefits, some people are against GM foods. However, I disagree with them.

Firstly, Opponents of GM foods argue that GM crops are unnatural and that by creating them we are altering the natural world. This argument is not convincing at all. It is well known that all modern crops are the result of selective breeding done by agriculturists since age old times. Genetic modification simply modifies crops in a more planned way and there is nothing unnatural in that.

Another argument raised by objectors to GM foods is that they could constitute a health risk, for example by causing allergies or even by being toxic. However, there is no evidence to support this idea. In fact, because GM foods can have improved nutritional value, they are more likely to be of benefit to the health of the population than a risk.

The final objection raised by those who want GM foods banned is that GM crops which kill the pests which attack them may also kill harmless insects. They claim that this would be detrimental for the environment. On the contrary, since GM crops do not require spraying with toxic insecticides, environmental damage such as the contamination of soils and rivers is avoided.

In conclusion, GM crops offer increased agricultural productivity and foods of higher nutritional value, both of which are essential if the growing world population of the twenty-first century is to be fed. I am unconvinced that GM crops pose a risk to our environment and health. Indeed, these crops have the potential to improve the health of millions throughout the world while causing less environmental damage than standard farming methods used today. I think it essential that, far from being prohibited, GM foods should be encouraged.

(Agree)

The benefits of genetically modified (GM) crops are well publicised by the supporters of GM foods. However, recently important objections to GM crops and foods have been raised which make it essential to be very careful in the production of these foods.

The first objection to GM crops is that they are unnatural. Supporters of GM foods claim that agriculturists have been doing selective breeding to get newer crops for ages. However, genetic modification involves a totally new approach where genes from different species are introduced into a plant’s composition. These permanent genetic alterations could well have disastrous consequences which are impossible to predict.

Another issue is that GM foods pose a health risk. Supporters of GM foods point out that so far no major health problems have arisen as a result of them. But, as this technology is in its infancy, there are real fears that GM foods may cause allergies and that some might just prove poisonous or toxic in some way.

A final area of disagreement concerns the environment. Some crops have been genetically modified to kill the pests which attack them. Supporters of GM crops point out that this avoids the need for indiscriminate spraying of crops. However, it is quite possible that GM crops will also kill harmless or beneficial insects indiscriminately. What is more, due to cross pollination, it is highly unlikely that modified genes will remain confined to the new crops. In all probability, the genes which kill insects will eventually escape into the wild plant population and may cause an environmental disaster.

In conclusion, while GM crops may well help raise food production in a hungry world, they do so at great risk to human and environmental health. I believe that a much tighter control should be put in their development, testing and marketing to ensure that they are completely safe rather than banning them altogether.