Hillary Rodham Clinton Supports Biotech, GM Crops

Hillary Rodham Clinton was the keynote speaker at a luncheon during the BIO International Convention in San Diego, California, USA and was interviewed by Jim Greenwood, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization.

According to the San Diego Union Times, Clinton endorsed the use of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs in agriculture to improve crops, such as by engineering them for drought resistance. She suggested the biotech industry stress these characteristics instead of focusing on the term GMOs.

On GMOs, Clinton said the biotech industry "should continue to try to make the case to those who are skeptical that they may not know what they are eating already, because the question of genetically modified foods or hybrids has gone on for many many years, and there is a big gap between what the facts are and what the perceptions are."

Clinton said, "I stand in favor of using seeds and products that have a proven track record, you say, and are scientifically provable to continue to try to make the case to those who are skeptical."

She noted that she promoted drought-resistant seeds while combating food insecurity in Africa, which "by definition, they have been engineered to be drought-resistant."

"If you talk about drought-resistant seeds, and I have promoted those all over Africa, by definition they have been engineered to be drought-resistant," Clinton said. "That's the beauty of them. Maybe somebody can get their harvest done and not starve, and maybe have something left over to sell."