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Genetic Engineering

THE ADVANTAGES

Advocates of genetic engineering believe the advances being made with regards to GM foods offer a
way to quickly improve crop characteristics such as yield, pest resistance, or herbicide tolerance
often to a degree not possible with traditional methods. Some of the advantages include:

• PEST RESISTANCE. Farmers use many tons of chemical pesticides annually to protect
themselves from crop losses as well as devastating financial losses caused by insect pests.
Consumers however do not want to eat food that has been treated with pesticides because of
potential health hazards, and run-off of agricultural wastes from excessive use of pesticides
and fertilizers can poison the water supply and cause harm to the environment. As an
alternative GM foods can be genetically-engineered to be more resistant to certain pests
which helps eliminate the application of chemical pesticides.
• HERBICIDE TOLERANCE. For some crops, it is not cost-effective to remove weeds by
physical means such as tilling, so farmers will often spray large quantities of different
herbicides (weed-killer) to destroy weeds. This is not only a time-consuming and expensive
process, but also requires much attention so that the herbicide doesn't harm the crop plant
or the environment. Crop plants genetically-engineered to be resistant to one very powerful
herbicide could help prevent environmental damage by reducing the amount of herbicides
needed.
• DISEASE RESISTANCE. There are many viruses, fungi and bacteria that cause plant
diseases. Plant biologists are working to create plants with genetically-engineered resistance
to these diseases.
• COLD TOLERANCE. Unexpected frost can destroy sensitive seedlings. An antifreeze gene
from cold water fish has been introduced into plants such as tobacco and potato. With this
antifreeze gene, these plants are able to tolerate cold temperatures that normally would kill
unmodified seedlings.
• DROUGHT TOLERANCE AND SALINITY TOLERANCE. As the world population grows
and more land is utilized for housing instead of food production, farmers will need to grow
crops in locations previously unsuited for plant cultivation. Creating plants that can
withstand long periods of drought or high salt content in soil and groundwater will help
people to grow crops in formerly inhospitable places.
• NUTRITION. Malnutrition is common in third world countries where impoverished peoples
rely on a single crop such as rice for the main staple of their diet. However, rice does not
contain adequate amounts of all the necessary nutrients to prevent malnutrition. If staple
foods, such as rice, could be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and
minerals many nutrient deficiencies could be alleviated.

THE DISADVANTAGES

Environmental activists, public interest groups, professional associations and other scientists have
raised concerns about GM foods. Biotechnology corporations are being criticized for pursuing profit
without concern for potential hazards, and the government for failing to exercise adequate regulatory
oversight. The primary concerns regarding GM foods are the following:

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

• UNINTENDED HARM TO OTHER ORGANISMS. Last year a laboratory study was


published in Nature magazine showing that pollen from Bt corn, a genetically modified
species, caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars. Monarch caterpillars
consume milkweed plants, not corn, but the fear is that if pollen from Bt corn is blown by the
wind onto milkweed plants in neighboring fields, the caterpillars could eat the pollen and
perish.3 Although the Nature study was not conducted under natural field conditions, the
results seemed to support this viewpoint. Unfortunately, Bt toxins kill many species of insect
larvae indiscriminately; it is not possible to design a Bt toxin that would only kill crop-
damaging pests and remain harmless to all other insects. This study is being reexamined by
the USDA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other non-government
research groups.
• REDUCED EFFECTIVENESS OF PESTICIDES. Just as some populations of mosquitoes
developed resistance to the now-banned pesticide DDT, many people are concerned that
insects will become resistant to Bt or other crops that have been genetically-modified to
produce their own pesticides.
• INCREASED USE OF HERBICIDES. Scientists estimate that plants genetically engineered
to be herbicide-resistant will greatly increase the amount of herbicide use.4 Farmers,
knowing that their crops can tolerate the herbicides, will use them more liberally.
• GENE TRANSFER TO NON-TARGET SPECIES. Another concern is that crop plants
engineered for herbicide tolerance and weeds will cross-breed, resulting in the transfer of the
herbicide resistance genes from the crops into the weeds. These "superweeds" would then be
herbicide tolerant as well. Other introduced genes may cross over into non-modified crops
planted next to GM crops. The possibility of interbreeding is shown by the defense of
farmers against lawsuits filed by Monsanto. The company has filed patent infringement
lawsuits against farmers who may have harvested GM crops. Monsanto claims that the
farmers obtained Monsanto-licensed GM seeds from an unknown source and did not pay
royalties to Monsanto. The farmers claim that their unmodified crops were cross-pollinated
from someone else's GM crops planted a field or two away. More investigation is needed to
resolve this issue.
• SIDE EFFECTS. Genetic engineering is like performing heart surgery with a shovel.
Scientists do not yet understand living systems completely enough to perform DNA surgery
without creating mutations which could be harmful to the environment and our health. They
are experimenting with very delicate, yet powerful forces of nature, without full knowledge
of the repercussions.5
• WIDESPREAD CROP FAILURE. Genetic engineers intend to profit by patenting
genetically engineered seeds. This means that, when a farmer plants genetically engineered
seeds, all the seeds have identical genetic structure. As a result, if a fungus, a virus, or a pest
develops which can attack this particular crop, there could be widespread crop failure.6
• Threatens Entire Food Supply. Insects, birds, and wind can carry genetically altered seeds
into neighboring fields and beyond. Pollen from transgenic plants can cross-pollinate with
genetically natural crops and wild relatives. All crops, organic and non-organic, are
vulnerable to contamination from cross-pollinatation.7

HUMAN HEALTH RISKS

• Allergen Issues. Many children in the US and Europe have developed life-threatening
allergies to peanuts and other foods. There is a possibility that introducing a gene into a
plant may create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals.8 A
proposal to incorporate a gene from Brazil nuts into soybeans was abandoned because of the
fear of causing unexpected allergic reactions. Extensive testing of GM foods may be required
to avoid the possibility of harm to consumers with food allergies.
• Unknown Health Effects. There is a growing concern that introducing foreign genes into
food plants may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health.
• Toxins. Genetic engineering can cause unexpected mutations in an organism, which can
create new and higher levels of toxins in foods.9
• Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria. Genetic engineers use antibiotic-resistance genes to mark
genetically engineered cells. This means that genetically engineered crops contain genes
which confer resistance to antibiotics. These genes may be picked up by bacteria which may
infect us.10

Bringing a GM food to market is a lengthy and costly process of which biotechnology corporations
wish to ensure a profitable return on their investment. Consumer advocates are worried that
patenting these new plant varieties will raise the price of seeds so high that small farmers will not be
able to afford seeds for GM crops and be forced out of business.

Both proponents and opponents of genetic engineering make valid points. Only through continued
research will we be able to better predict the long term implications of genetic engineering and the
effect of genetically modified foods have on the environment and our health. Turtle Mountain errs on
the side of caution where GMOs are concerned and remains committed to our zero GMO policy

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