I think that this is helpful for people who have phobias of injections and for those who can not afford to buy expensive medication for their illnesses. An extra supplementary of vitamins can be enclosed in foods such as oranges to increase a human’s daily intake in their diet. Vitamin C is vital for a human being and an increase of this vitamin in oranges can be very beneficial to consumers, as it will improve their intake of the healthy nutrients provided by the orange. GM is faster and lower in cost (2).
They can also be used in crops. Pesticides, herbicides and insecticides will not be sprayed on the crops so there are fewer chemicals present on the crops so there is a less chance of it being harmful to humans. This will have an environmentally friendly outcome. I think this shows that GM technology can be environmentally friendly and can reduce a human’s intake of chemicals and pollution. GM can be used to improve the quality of foods as well as increase the number of crops created. This can lead to more quality crops being produced and supplied to the consumers. I find that this is economically beneficial for the country.
GM can enhance the taste and quality of foods. Maturation time for the foods can be reduced. Due to genetic modification there will be an increase in nutrients and yields. There will be an improved resistance towards disease, pests and herbicides (1).
Genetic Modification is also used in animals to increase resistance, productivity, hardiness and feed efficiency. GM can also enhance better yields of meat, milk and other dairy products. Due to GM animal health can also be improved (1).
GM also affects the environment in the sense that bio herbicides and bio insecticides are used. Soil, water and energy are saved (1).
Genetic Modification can cause an increased food security for growing populations, which can be beneficial to the third world countries.
If for example a tomato is taken and genetically modified to change the molecular structure in order to make it larger in size, tastier by adding more flavour, juicier and lasting longer. The tomato can last longer if a “frost free” fish gene is implanted to make the tomato tolerate cold conditions (4).
In my opinion I think that if GM technology is used in fruits it will encourage more people to eat and enjoy fruit, which is healthy for them. These kinds of foods will be cheaper to purchase than organic foods. In my opinion this is beneficial for those people who come from a poorer background and who cannot afford to purchase quality goods at the expensive price. When GM technology is used the prices are lowered so everyone can enjoy the food.
These advantages could, in turn, lead to a number of potential benefits, especially in the longer-term, for the consumer, industry, agriculture and the environment. For example there would be an improvement in agricultural performance, reduced usage of pesticides and herbicides, the ability to grow crops in inhospitable environments and the removal of allergens or toxic components (2).
Scientists have found no evidence that GM foods pose as a risk to human health (5)
However there are disadvantages to genetically modified organisms. A major disadvantage is that this technology may not work. I believe that if the technology does not work it will cause a great deal of loss economically. In this case if the technology does not work it may produce or create a disease, which may not be curable. This is because it may have inherited an antibiotic resistance gene, which will prevent the illness from being treated (3). Also GM technology is an interference to natural evolution as it is interfering with nature. Therefore it can be dangerous to humans as they can also develop allergies (5).
I feel that researchers are taking a large risk by researching GMO’s as it can cause long-term diseases, which may not be treated because of lack of knowledge about the disease and the side effects.
If GM works, there could be a domination of world food production by only a few companies. So once again the third world countries are being left out. There could also be bio piracy, which is foreign exploitation of natural resources.
Ethical issues have also been raised during the research as many people consider it to be incorrect and immoral. It has been reported that many companies are supporting this research because they can invest more money and receive an increase in profits.
The farmers are going to however buy more expensive GM seeds in order to grow their crop a year later, which can have detrimental effects on their livelihoods as they may not be able to keep up with payments. "Activist groups claimed that GM crops were in effect 'green concrete' and would 'wipe out' wildlife (news article). Company owners will try to persuade the public to support GM investigate, as they will gain a large amount of profit from doing so.
GM technology is a violation of natural organisms. It is tampering with nature by mixing genes among different species. Many people have objections in consuming animal genes in plants and vice versa. If an animal is being genetically modified it could cause stress to the animal.
After much consideration I have come up with the conclusion that GM technology and research is a waste of time and money as it carries a huge amount of risks and dangers that can harm humans and wildlife as well as the environment.. I feel that more research is required before any more procedures are carried out because there is a lack of knowledge about GM technology. Until risks have been prevented I do not think that the protestors of GM technology will accept this technology.
To conclude with I think that there are more disadvantages than advantages and until they have been dealt with it will not be a successful procedure. Therefore in my opinion and in the views of the protestors of GM technology it should not be carried out. This research should not be considered if it is harmful to humans. If the risks could be prevented or decreased this process could be successful.