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The modern farm
has to be regarded as an intensive food production unit where there is
little room for sentiment and the farmer must focus at all times on maintaining
financial solvency.
A modern
bulk grain store
A demand for
higher and higher yields brings with it, a
new set of problems…
-
Use of pesticides
may harm humans and beneficial species
-
Excess
fertiliser or chemicals can 'run off' into
waterways and kill fish
-
Battery
farming methods can increase the spread of some serious animal diseases
-
Modern
varieties of some crops may not carry the same nutritional value as
older varieties
-
The use
of preservatives in our foods may keep them edible for longer but
the chemicals may be harmful
-
Many people
are suspicious about the 'benefits' of
new Genetically Modified (GM) varieties of crops
On the positive
side…
-
Stricter
legislation should mean that our food is more hygienic and safer to
eat
-
Higher
productivity should help to keep farmers solvent
-
Plant breeding
will produce higher yielding varieties and varieties that are resistant
to pests and diseases
 [Andrew
Caldwell on new farming regulations] |
[Geoffrey
Goodson on genetically modified crops] |
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