Sen. Claire McCaskill, on a tour earlier this week of a research farm in Columbia, Missouri, criticized GMO opponents and said she wouldn’t tolerate bias against GMOs in federally funded ag research, according to the Missourian. “It’s ironic to me that the same group that’s pounding the table about climate change wants to ignore the science with GMOs,” the Missouri Democrat said. “If you believe in science, you believe in science. You can’t just pick and choose depending on the issue.”
A Pew Research poll released in January found that 88 percent of scientists think GMO crops are safe to eat, compared to 37 percent of the general public. When asked whether climate change is caused mostly by human activity, 87 percent of scientists said yes, compared to only 50 percent of the public. A USDA survey of Corn Belt farmers — who grow predominantly GMO corn and soybeans — found that only 8 percent believe humans are the main cause of climate change.
McCaskill reportedly also told the agricultural genetics researchers in the room to toughen up and ignore “a small group of people making a lot of noise,” referring to those who protest the growth and sale of GMOs.