Who Owns GMOs?
By: Brian Wilmans
Genetically modified organisms (GMO) have been around since the early 1970s and have steadily grown to impact all forms of commerce. From food to healthcare, the growing impact of GMOs has been felt around the world but very heavily in the United States specifically. As the landmass and population of the U.S. are significantly larger than that of most other countries and most of its farming is done on a larger, industrial scale, the U.S. has leaned more heavily on the use of GMOs to provide security for the country’s food supply.[1] In the U.S., it is estimated that over ninety percent of crops are genetically modified and that up to ninety-five percent of meat and dairy products feed on genetically modified crops.[2]
This has led to questions surrounding the ownership of those GMOs. If the organism could be obtained naturally, how do you determine that someone is the owner?