One of the main reasons for opposition to the development of GM crops being that knowledge on Genetic Modification is limited and the long term effects are unknown. It is for this reason that recently Nestle have been given widespread condemnation for their use of GM Maize and Soya in baby food products in Asia. The International Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology have argued that simply changing the genetic make up of a food could not have an effect on those who eat it. But in regards to effects on the surrounding environment some can already be seen. The Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) Cotton plant (a plant containing a gene from soil bacteria which creates a pesticide) which has been grown throughout China for just over 5 years has formed irregularities in the eco-system due to a depletion in Cotton Weevil and a huge increase in other insects, meaning farmers have to use the same amount of pesticides as those growing normal cotton.
It is a fact that 1 in every 7 people in the world is in a state of starvation: it seems that genetic modification allowing for a growth in production of food crops is the answer. However the point has been made on several occasions that currently we are producing 1 and a half times enough food to provide everyone in the world with a nutritious diet. The problem is simply distribution not shortage. Greenpeace argue that an increase in yield of crops would benefit the hungry in the world as the problem lies within politics and the greed of multi-national companies. In a statement to the UN 24 African Nations declared their resentment of being used as “Guinea Pigs” for GM crops due to the situation they are in.
The Irish Potato Famine of 1845-49 was down to a case of non-bio-diversity meaning that a single crop dominated the surrounding environment. The introduction of disease resistant, hardy plants in certain areas may lead to a vulnerability to a certain pest or weed. Diversity in crops would not lead to a reliance on one single product for income or nourishment leading to a safeguard from catastrophe for the farmer. These so-called “Super Plants” may also lead to the extinction of many indigenous native crops of a similar kind. This is what happened in the so-called “Green Revolution” when western powers put pressure on 3rd world farmers to use a more hardy foreign variety of their preferred crop leading to the extinction of the indigenous variety. Due to the similar effects of Genetic Modification it has become known as the “Gene Revolution”.
With genetic crops there is also the chance of “Genetic Pollution” caused by cross pollination. An example being in Germany a crop of GM Oil Seed Rape was grown with a resistance to a certain herbicide was grown and after just two generation some of the weeds growing in the field had developed the same resistance due to cross pollination. The largest fear with this being that many plants are now grown for the production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals if these plants were to cross pollinate with plants destined for consumption; the results could be catastrophic. Laboratory experiments in 1998 demonstrated that gene transfer could occur from GM sugar beet to commonly occurring soil bacteria called Acenitobacter. In theory, any insects, birds or other animals could pick up this bacterium from the soil and transfer it wherever they go.
In regards to the modification of livestock, this has not been as widespread as within arable farming. The Roslin Institute in Edinburgh has been one of the world leaders in such cases. Ideas such as Dairy Cattle producing milk containing human proteins has been one such aspect they have made reality. However as with Crops there has been some scepticism over the safety of such modifications, in regards to Genetic Pollution in Norway some fish which had been modified to be considerably larger than usual escaped from a fish farm and now out number the normal Salmon within the river at 5:1. Although the flood of GM crops onto the table of many homes within the EU has been quelled millions of tonnes seep in each year in the form of animal feed. Pork, beef, and poultry we buy may have been fed on genetically modified crops, and due to labelling laws within the EU we are unable to know.
Some people may be unable to tolerate a new protein found in GM Food meaning that a food which was once safe to eat may now cause anything from mild discomfort to death. A seed company decided to modify Soya beans by adding a gene from Brazil Nuts to increase the protein content, tests later showed that had the bean been eaten by anyone with a nut allergy it would have caused the same effect as if they had eaten a Brazil Nut. Because most genes being introduced into GE plants come from sources which have never been part of the human diet, such as bacteria, insects and viruses, there is no way of knowing whether or not the products of these genes will cause allergic reactions. Some people could develop sensitivity to a GE food gradually after being exposed to it over time; others might have an acute allergic reaction after eating a minute amount. Unfortunately, the lack of labelling effectively undermines any attempt to monitor GE foods. If allergies do develop, it will be extremely difficult to trace them to their source.
A less controversial use of Genetic Engineering is the production of Human Hormones and Proteins in Bacteria. The breakthrough coming when the Human Insulin making gene was added to E Coli bacteria and insulin could now be made on a vast scale. Since then others such as Human Growth hormone have been made in a similar method to counteract deficiencies within the body. While again tampering with the genetic code of a living organism; the effects on humans or the environment do not seem as damaging or dangerous.
Genetic modification and medicine have clashed however with the emergence over the last number of years of so-called “Super Bugs” bacteria resistant to all known Antibiotics. It has been claimed this is due to the overuse of such antibiotic resistance genes in animal feeds and GM Crops, for it is such genes which are used in labelling most GM products; it has been claimed these genes have been passed on to certain bacteria. A common example in hospitals being Staphylococcus aureus. A study in 1999 indicated that Oral Bacteria could pick up DNA from food or other bacteria in the mouth, leading to the assumption that so could many other harmful bacteria.
This has led me to the conclusion that in the future genetic engineering will be a wonderful thing and will benefit many people but as of now when there is so little known on the subject it seems wise to keep it and its consequences away from the public. The little we actually know about Genetic Engineering was highlighted in an experiment where the gene red pigment was transferred from a Maize Plant to a petunia. Apart from turning white, not red, the flowers had more leaves and shoots, a higher resistance to fungi and lowered fertility.
