Report: GE crops don't produce higher yields

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) plans to release a report Tuesday that it says will debunk the biotech industry’s claim that genetically engineered crops produce higher crop yields.

The report, “Failure to Yield: Evaluating the Performance of Genetically Engineered Crops,” states that agricultural production increases in the US over the past 15 years were due primarily to traditional breeding improvements and advances in conventional agriculture.

The UCS says the study is the first to closely evaluate the overall effect that genetic engineering has had on crop yields compared to other agricultural technologies. The organisation has scheduled a conference call tomorrow to discuss details of the report.