Genetic
Engineering in Agriculture
The
food that is eaten by millions of Americans every day may be the product of a
science experiment. Scientists have been practicing genetic engineering in the
agricultural industry, since the early 1980s. Genetic engineering is the
scientific alteration of the structure of genetic
material [DNA] in a living organism (Genetic Engineering). The United
States of America is the leading grower of
genetically engineered crops. As of the year 2000 sixty percent of all
processed foods sold in the U.S.
were manufactured with genetically engineered ingredients (Genetic Engineering
at).
The
first idea of genetic engineering came about in the year 1946. In this year, the
discovery was made that genes from different viruses could be used to create
another virus. In the late 1970s scientists were creating genetically
engineered mammals. Scientist discovered it was possible to insert new genes
into the fertilized eggs (Yount, Lisa). Thirty- eight
years after the initial discovery, genetic engineering hit the agricultural
world. In the year 1984, the first genetically engineered farm animals were
produced. The first genetically engineered crop, tobacco, was approved by the
Environmental Protection Agency In 1986.
