You’ll get a lot of answers to this question, I’ll try to give one that’s distinct from the others: Practical observation of the two techniques reveals very di

You’ll get a lot of answers to this question, I’ll try to give one that’s distinct from the others: Practical observation of the two techniques reveals very different outcomes and behaviours. Selective breeding takes time and has intermediate stages that help you see if you’re on the right track. Direct modification: if you get it wrong you’re back to the drawing board. Worse, legally they’re two very different animals that are treated very differently. If you want big bucks, you want to go the GMO route. The combination of the risky nature with the potential profits makes an ideal environment for malpractice, whether it’s cherry-picking data, deliberately making seeds that aren’t long-term viable or strategies such as long-term pesticides which have a detrimental effect of neighbouring farms. So in theory, I don’t have a moral objection to GMO. In practice, I can see why the EU banned it.