Are Herbicides Used on GMO Plants, and If So, Are They Dangerous?

Many GM plants use different herbicides than conventional crops. Most cultivated GM plants are designed to be used with an herbicide called glyphosate, which is considered one of the safest available herbicides (for humans). Glyphosate is also used on non-GM plants. There is evidence that accumulation of any herbicide in the environment (like waterways) can be harmful but the evidence that glyphosate is more harmful than other herbicides is not clear.

Herbicides are chemicals used by farmers to prevent the growth of weeds which compete with crop plants for sunlight, water, and soil nutrients. They’re an important part of modern agriculture, and by allowing non-mechanical methods of weed-control, like tilling (ploughing) or hand-weeding (as is still practiced in much of the developing world), they allow farmers to limit soil erosion as well as save on labor and energy. There are many different herbicides available to farmers today, and their use is dependent on things like which crop is planted, what weeds are prevalent, and the type of cropping system.