The New Yorker recently published an article entitled “Seeds of Doubt,” written by Michael Specter, which attempts to debunk Vandana Shiva’s stance on the use of GM seeds. Shiva is outspoken in her claims that the use of GM seed increases farmer debt and environmental degradation, and contributes to poverty, hunger, and suicide. In responding to Specter’s article, she did not hesitate to assert that the piece is merely a new and more sophisticated approach to the propaganda machine of the pro-GMO lobby. The exchange has received much attention and has been widely circulated around the Internet. Our colleagues at the Center for Food Safety critiqued Specter’s piece, debunking the myths about GE crops that Specter used as ammunition against Shiva throughout his article. AGRA Watch certainly agrees with the CFS and Shiva and feels that Specter is often wide of the mark in his piece.
