Unleashed: A bright GM farming future pagina 1 van 177 Unleashed presents diverse and robust opinion about politics, society, belief and behaviour. A bright GM farming future 30 June 2008, 10:30 I am one of about 120 farmers from NSW and Victoria excited to be involved in the small-scale roll-out of Australia's first genetically modified (GM) canola varieties. Two GM canolas were approved for commercial use by Australia's federal gene technology regulator in 2003 following a rigorous, science-based assessment, but Maree McKay state government bans across the country, based on market issues, have prevented farmers from accessing these new plant varieties until now. This year, the NSW and Victorian governments lifted their GM canola bans, so a small number of us will finally have the opportunity to grow GM canola and judge its performance for ourselves. In March, we attended an accreditation course to gather the practical information needed in relation to the agronomic and commercial aspects of the crop, including crop management information, associated costs, monitoring and harvest plans. Our competitors overseas have had access to GM canola for more than a decade. Canadian farmers have been growing GM canola since 1996 and these varieties now represent around 85 per cent of the country's canola crop. According to a grower survey conducted by the Canola Council of Canada, farmers chose to grow GM canola for easier and better weed control, better yields and reduced costs. Canada's GM canola is also finding ready markets. Japan is Australia's biggest export market and Japan imports GM canola. More than 85% of canola imported into Japan comes from Canada and is considered to be totally GM. Australian and Canadian canola receives the same price in Japan. There are no significant price premiums for Australian non-GM canola. According to a long-term trial undertaken by Professor Jim Pratley at Charles Sturt University, which compared the yield and economic performance of a GM herbicide tolerant canola variety with conventional canola varieties over a typical five-year crop rotation system, the GM canola consistently delivered superior weed control, higher yields and oil quality when compared to current common canola varieties grown under conventional weed management systems. Two reports from the University of Melbourne have also predicted positive results from the uptake of GM canola in Australia. They state that the uptake of GM canola would result in an "increase in canola and wheat production worth $135 million to the Australian grains industry," and that the "increased production could be achieved while making the canola industry more sustainable through better integrated weed management and soil conservation practices." The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) has reported that the potential benefits of GM canola adoption in Australia include yield increases; cheaper and more flexible herbicide use options; reduced costs relating to herbicides, labour, machinery use, and time; environmental and occupational health and safety benefits for on-farm workers; and, potential increases in off-farm incomes. For farmers like myself, who rely on new technologies to stay competitive, it has been frustrating http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2283227.htm 24-9-2008 Unleashed: A bright GM farming future pagina 2 van 177 waiting to access these new varieties which has been used safely around the world since 1996, especially, as all the indications predict positive outcomes. Whilst this year's GM canola will only represent one to two per cent of the total canola crop, we see this development as a huge step in the right direction. Farmers are business operators who should decide for themselves which varieties suit their enterprises. That said, we understand that some customers may not want to buy GM canola and the grains industry is committed to providing this option. New agricultural technologies need a predictable research and development process and path to market in order to encourage innovation and investment in Australian agriculture. With the effects of climate change dramatically impacting the Australian landscape, farmers like us need Australian researchers to develop new crop varieties, including GM varieties, which are specifically suited to regional conditions. We need access to all the new and emerging tools and technologies available to support our business endeavours. We hope it has been worth the wait, of course, now it all depends on whether it rains - so we will see what happens. Send to a friend | del.icio.us | Digg | Furl | Kwoff | ma.gnolia | Reddit | StumbleUpon Comments (665) Add your comment l Nigel Kirwan : 23 Jul 2008 3:16:35pm .... Therefore they may switch the new gene on or off in an unpredictable manner, leading again to side-effects that could turn up at any time in the future. This aspect of the technology also means that natural barriers that stop DNA hopping from one species to another no longer apply. The highly virulent components (from viruses and bacteria) of the inserted genes could transfer to other plant species, to animals, and to our own DNA, leading to new diseases in plants, animals and humans, or mutations of a completely unpredictable nature. There are a number of other technicalities that should be mentioned for completeness, and which are described in the articles referred to below. HOWEVER IT MUST BE EMPHASISED THAT THOSE CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN GENE TECHNOLOGY HAVE NO GUARANTEES AGAINST THESE EFFECTS OCCURRING. Misadventures so far Already, in the brief history of genetic engineering, there have been more than enough "mistakes" to show that we should call a halt to the introduction of new modified products. Some examples: Toxicity: a food supplement, which had been manufactured by a process using a genetically engineered enzyme, killed 37 people and permanently disabled 1,500 more. Allergies: soybean containing a brazil nut gene was found to create allergic reactions similar to those caused by brazil nuts themselves (these reactions can of course be fatal). Fortunately, the problem was found at the research phase and the soybean was not marketed. (Soybean is a component of 60% of processed foods.) http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2283227.htm 24-9-2008 Unleashed: A bright GM farming future pagina 3 van 177 Damaging effects through ingesting modified products: bees consuming pollen from genetically modified plants suffered from impaired sense of smell and had shortened lifespan. DNA is difficult to destroy; it survives boiling, and ingested DNA can survive the digestive process. From there it can pass into the bloodstream and into other cells. Possibilities include genetic disturbances, including cancer. Changed hormone levels and altered milk content: cows eating genetically engineered soybeans showed increased fat content in their milk. This was probably related to increased plant oestrogen, which can also affect humans, especially children (The USA company, Genetic ID, can detect the presence of as little as 1 in 10,000 modified soybeans.) In another case, the use of genetically engineered Bovine Growth Hormone (BST) created sickness in cattle and unhealthy milk. Uncontrolled gene transfer to other species: modified oil-seed rape is closely related to wild plant species. The modified genes have been shown to be transferred to the wild species through pollen. This can lead to: The development of superweeds: that are resistant to herbicides. Evidence of this has already been observed, and the creation of new super-viruses. Build up of antibiotic resistance: this is already a rapidly-growing problem in medicine, leading to the emergence Reply Alert moderator l Nigel Kirwan : 19 Jul 2008 11:18:38am ............ are associated to specific sections of the DNA.) Although this may seem highly technical, these concepts are crucial in understanding why genetic engineering is so hazardous. A final point on the structure and functioning of DNA. It is often represented as a chain of units, into or out of which sections can be inserted at will, rather like computer chips or spare parts in a car. In reality, it is a beautiful, elegant, and highly complex quantum- mechanical structure, whose configuration and properties are only understood to a meagre degree. This is a very important, but rarely noted, point, since any infinitesimal change to the DNA at any point will change its properties throughout its length, in ways that no scientist could possibly predict. The elements of genetic engineering Genetic engineering involves taking bits of DNA from one species, and putting it into the DNA of another, in order to mimic certain desired characteristics. Contrary to the promotional literature, genetic engineering is not the natural extension of natural breeding or natural selection. Where in nature do we find DNA from a fish, a scorpion, a spider, a virus or bacterium, an animal, or even human DNA, introducing itself into the DNA of a vegetable? Yet these are all examples of the types of genetic transplants that have already been done. Of equal or even greater concern is the fact that highly active genetic parasites are used to implant the new genes (transgenes) in the DNA of the target species. These are derived from viruses that can cause cancer and other diseases, and are themselves engineered to be active in a wide range of host DNA environments (unlike most viruses, which can survive and multiply only in a limited range of species). Another myth to be dispelled is that laboratory techniques are perfectly precise, enabling the new gene to be inserted in an exact location in the DNA. This is far from the case. The precision is akin to attaching a string of words on to a brick, throwing it through the library window, and expecting it to lodge in a precise position in a poem in a particular book.