The president of Cereals Canada says when it comes to genetic engineering technology, there are lessons to be learned from past mistakes.
Cam Dahl notes with the new wave of technology, the agriculture industry needs to do a better job of communicating to the public.
"We need scientists and farmers to come out of the fields and labs to explain why the new technology is good for consumers and our planet," he explained. "We know how the science will benefit agriculture, but how will the new techniques benefit someone in downtown Toronto with no connection to the farm?"
Dahl says the next step in gene editing technology is very promising.
"Technology is now allowing us to turn on or off specific characteristics in a plant's genome. That is going to allow us to very rapidly bring on new traits such as drought tolerance and hopefully things like fusarium tolerance."
He notes this new technology will help agriculture adapt to climate change.
Source : Steinbachonline