Update on . . .
Genetically Modified Organisms.
GMO's or genetically modified organisms have hardly been out of the news during the last couple of years. And with each new headline has come another round of debate over whether biotechnology is the way forward. Many scientists and politicians are confident that genetic engineering will produce wonder plants that resist pests and diseases, flourish despite drought and capture their own nutrients. Indeed, some consider biotechnology to be the only way in which to ensure that everyone in the world has enough to eat. Many others, however, are not so sure. Those that oppose genetically-engineered material do so for a wide variety of reasons, some are scientific, others concern power, choice and control, while many simply object on moral or ethical grounds. There is also deep rooted concern over who will have access to this technology and benefit from it. New Agriculturistbrings you the latest news and views from this on-going debate.
"Farmers won't benefit financially from genetically
modified crop technology. But they will have to adopt it to remain competitive in world markets.
Historically the benefits of technical innovation have always fed through to consumers and they are
the ones that will reap any cost savings from this technology. But farmers need to remain
competitive and genetically modified crops will help them do that."
Steve Moll, Monsanto's project leader for GM crops in Europe
Manufacturers are seeking official approval in Britain for an increasing range of genetically
modified food products. Independent experts on the UK's advisory committee on novel foods and
processes, set up in the 1980s, were asked at their latest meeting for formal views on five new
genetically modified schemes.
The Public Ledger
"The more crops that are grown that are genetically
engineered, the more risk there is of organisms being released into the atmosphere. No-one has any
idea what the effects of this are going to be. The only way is to force people to eat it, and who
knows what the consequences will be in one, five or 10 years time."
Greenpeace spokesperson
Ladybirds - one of the few predators of aphids we have, are being harmed, indirectly by
genetically engineered potatoes. These potatoes have been designed to discourage aphids, but it
seems that enough aphids are left on the potatoes to attract ladybirds. Unfortunately, ladybirds
which eat the aphids, that have been eating genetically engineered potatoes, produce fewer eggs and
die younger - leaving the surviving aphids to continue their attack on the potato crop.
The Daily Telegraph - reporting on results published by The Scottish Crop Research Institute
Scientists in France have just published results which show that genes - inserted into oilseed
rape to give resistance to herbicides - can cross into hybrids between rape plants and weeds and
persist in the field for several generations.
The Daily Telegraph - reporting on results published in Nature
Rape seed engineered to produce a natural insecticide (Bt) has been shown to kill not only the
target pests - caterpillars and beetles - but also bees. Studies published in August revealed that
bees exposed to the genetically modified crop were dying two weeks earlier than usual.
The Daily Telegraph
Farmers in the southern United States are claiming compensation for the failure of their cotton
crop. The seed, a genetically engineered strain developed by Monsanto, had been advertised as the
most successful product introduction in the history of agriculture. The company says that the
failure of a few cases is more than outweighed by successes elsewhere and blames bad weather
conditions and mistakes by the farmers themselves.
The Independent
The French government has given the go-ahead to the growing of genetically modified corn, but
has not extended the green light to other products such as sugar beet or rape seed. The decision is
seen as ending the anomaly introduced by the previous government which had permitted the import of
genetically altered corn for animal feed-stock, but had blocked the growing of this product, which
was resistant to the damaging pyral insects.
The Financial Times
After nine years of discussion and turbulent protests the European Union states, bar Belgium,
Italy and the Netherlands, have signed up to a new law which governs the patenting of genetic
material. Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies maintain the law is essential to the viability
of Europe's agriculture and pharmaceuticals industries.
The Financial Times
The Biosafety Working Group of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity have expressed concern
over new data on Monsanto's genetically engineered, herbicide-resistant soya beans. The results
suggest that cows fed with the genetically modified soya beans produced milk with a significantly
higher fat content than those fed with ordinary soyabeans.
The Daily Telegraph
"Whether you are growing in north America, Europe,
Asia, Africa, South America, Australia, wherever, if you can put a seed into the ground and bring
that seed to harvest, then you can utilize our biotechnology."
Bill Kozinsky, Monsanto - The Farming World, BBC World Service
Monsanto's latest figures estimate that there are just over 3.5 million hectares of genetically
engineered soya. Last year was the first year these genetically engineered soyabeans were grown in
the USA and about 1.4 million hectares are now expected to be planted in Argentina. Genetically
engineered cotton, maize, potatoes and rape seed or canola are also being planted on an increasing
scale.
The Farming World, BBC World Service
"Bt is one of the most important biological controls
of a whole range of insects in the United States and cotton carrying the Bt gene is planted in
thousands of acres across several states - and the problem is around the edge of the fields the
insects are developing resistance to Bt very rapidly. So unfortunately if those insects then fly
over to a vegetable crop, or something without the Bt gene in it, then if the grower tries to use
Bt as a biological control it will be useless. So we are increasing insect resistance very rapidly.
When Monsanto who did the genetic engineering and seed marketing was challenged on this account,
they said "Oh no it won't happen", but it is."
Hal Hamilton, farmer in SW USA - The Farming World, BBC World Service
"Irrespective of whether it is a transgenic organism
or genetically modified organism, or a conventional pesticide we have to deal with these same
questions of resistance. It's very, very clear that the benefits that GMO's offer for the
environment and for reducing worker exposure to pesticides are considerable and the case of such as
we have here in Arizona, overwhelmingly positive."
Prof. Tim Dennehy, University of Arizona - The Farming World, BBC World Service
"I analogize this to the situation with antibiotics,
where decades ago we were using these things with very little sophistication - prescribing them for
minor problems, skin problems etc. We learned over the subsequent years that we were squandering
the effectiveness of these very powerful tools and that we needed to use them with a greater degree
of sophistication and limiting their use, much, much more than was done initially. I believe that's
the same progression that we'll take with GMO's, to realise that we can't use them year after year
after year in the same setting, but that they are wonderfully powerful tools."
Prof. Tim Dennehy, University of Arizona - The Farming World, BBC World Service
"There's very little biotech research being done on
the problems facing poor farmers in developing countries. For example, a low income farmer in West
Africa is faced with periodic droughts, there is no reason why modern science, including
biotechnology cannot be brought to bear on developing a drought-tolerant maize variety. But right
now most of the biotech research is being done by private co-operations and focused on solving
problems in the industrialized nations, because that is where the private co-operations can
recuperate the research costs. There is nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is that similar
efforts are not being made for developing countries to solve their problems, at least not at
present."
Per Pinstrup Andersen, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute,
Washington
Scientists have discovered how to add genes to cassava, the staple food of 500 million people in
Africa and Asia. The breakthrough means it will be possible to make new varieties of cassava
resistant to the insect pests and viral diseases that prey on the crop today. This is good news for
tropical farmers. But it also opens the way to engineering cassava to produce starch to be used as
the raw material for new biodegradable plastics. These could be the basis of profitable industries
in the tropics. But competition from such crops could reduce the acreage of cassava grown as an
essential food for some of the world's poorest people.
The Independent
A report to be published this month by the Swiss Institute for Agroecology and Agriculture
(SIAA) will show that maize produced by the Novartis company may not only kill cornborers, but also
the beneficial lacewing larvae which normally feed on them.
The Public Ledger
"The research process detects potential problems and
where there is any risk to the environment, release of the product will not be permitted."
Dr Ray Mathias, Head of science communication at the research institute, the John Innes
Centre
"Their combined power to dominate world markets is
awesome. The train has already left the station. It is practically unstoppable now."
UN economist - quoted by The Guardian
"There's no crop or person that cannot benefit.
There's a tide of history turning. You can look back, or ask how you're going to feed the
world."
Monsanto - quoted by The Guardian
"Genetic engineering threatens to destroy millions of
peasant livelihoods in the Third World. Tropical crops like sugar cane, coconut, vanilla and cocoa
can be grown anywhere with genetic engineering. Whole industries in developing countries may
disappear."
Vandana Shiva, Director of the Science and Technology Research Institute, Delhi - quoted by the
Guardian
The world is about to witness a revolution. The science is now in the hands of large,
well-funded, agricultural, chemical and pharmaceutical giants which are poised to move from a
handful of products on the market today to a full menu in five years time. Biotechnology is
revolutionizing the food chain.
The Mckinsey Business Quarterly report
Pioneer, the world's leading maize seed supplier, last month concluded after two years talks
with Monsanto that the company was seeking to dominate the technology available to farmers with its
glyphosphate-resistant crops. "No single company has all the pieces of technology necessary to
help farmers feed the world. It is vital that farmers can access appropriate new
technologies."
The Guardian
"We've gone from nothing to 19 million acres in two
years. Next year we'll double again. We're in Japan, China, Africa and South America. Biotech is
ultimately democratic. It doesn't involve the farmer in capital goods. If you can compete with the
world it's great. It's called free enterprise."
Monsanto Executive - quoted in The Guardian.
"The path to riches is not in producing what people
want, but in finding what they would want in 15 years."
Robert Shapiro, Head of Monsanto
"The pressure on everyone is to intensify. The more
you intensify your farm, the harder it is to keep up with the weeds. The trouble is you can end up
using much more herbicide with Roundup Ready crops which are more tolerant."
Bill Christianson, farmer in upstate Missouri, quoted in The Guardian
Main points of Monsanto seed contract
- Seeds come with no performance guarantees
- If there are any problems farmers may only appeal through one court in Kansas City
- Farmers can only use herbicides made by Monsanto
- No seeds from the crops may be sold on, or sown for future crops
- Monsanto has the right to inspect farmers' crops for three years
- Contract applies to farmers' heirs and successors
"We are extremely worried about local biodiversity. We
have a very important ecology in Kenya and we don't know what will happen if we introduced these
plants. But the farmers know exactly what they do need, and that is more fertilizer and more credit
to invest in machinery."
Thomas Barasa, Head of Kenya's National Farmers' Union - quoted in The Guardian
"Genetic engineering is far more precise - and thus
predictable than the gene movements which occur in nature. Biotechnology allows individual genes to
be moved with precision from one plant to another. It is much easier to know how one gene will work
in its new setting. The likelihood of unexpected consequences, and the margin of error, are
correspondingly reduced."
Dr Bernard Dixon, member of the European Federation for Biotechnology's task group on public
perception.
