Time and time again, we hear the same talking point — that modern farming favors profit over the safety of consumers and the environment. As a member of the dairy industry, we know how untrue that statement is — and yet it continues to propagate. Why? Because it sells! Groups such as the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) or the Institute for Responsible Technology have literally taken this claim straight to the bank. For example, NRDC brought in $130 million last year. 

So, just where are they getting this information from?

Well, we can tell you they are not getting their facts from peer reviewed scientific studies. For example, in the case of glyphosate and a possible link to cancer, the World Health Organization, The European Food Safety Authority and the regulatory agencies of nine major countries have all agreed there is no evidence to support such a claim. In the case of GMOs (another common target), more than 900 studies and publications, over 20+ scientists, researchers and industry experts over a two-year period have determined that — based on over 20 years of data — GMOs do not cause cancer and are completely safe for human consumption. Yet, somehow, consumers still  accept the word of activists who base their research upon unscientifically narrow studies. Fear sells. 

As an industry, we have no choice but to continue to fight to retain the right to use technology and science! We have more mouths to feed than ever before, yet less land to feed them. The innovation of seeds and chemicals to help preserve crops is essential to protecting consumers access to affordable food.  We cannot allow activists groups to profit on fear, to succeed in making food more expensive and to make it more difficult for food-insecure families to obtain their next meal.