Biotechnology and Crop Protection

Since the first commercial biotech crops were grown in 1996,  plant biotechnology has been rapidly adopted by farmers. 
Increasingly, farmers are now planting biotech seeds because of the clear benefits they bring. Crops commercialized to date have been modified to improve agronomic traits like insect resistance and herbicide tolerance or a combination of the two.  Quality traits, such as fruits and vegetables fortified with vitamins, are now close to market. 

Foods derived from approved biotech crops are safe and are the most extensively tested food crops available today. Their safety is endorsed by scientific and regulatory agencies around the world – including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the U.S National Academy of Sciences, as well as national academies in the EU, China, Brazil, India and Mexico.  Biotech crops are tightly regulated both before they reach the marketplace and once they are on sale. To date, there have been no scientifically-proven cases of biotechnology adversely impacting food safety or human health.

CropLife America, along with its sister organization, Croplife International, works to ensure science-based regulations that maximize the benefits of plant technologies and enable continued research, while taking a lifecycle approach to stewardship of these products – from gene discovery through product phase-out.

To learn more about biotechnology, please access CropLife International’s Biotechnology and Safety Benefits Database.