BIOTECHNOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE
Friday, September 17, 1999
Houston Endowment
600 Travis, Suite 6400
Houston, Texas 77002
Becky Goldburg, a biologist in the New York office of the
Environmental Defense Fund, spoke about the prospects and
problems related to biotech, especially genetically modified
("GM") foods. She noted that GM foods and other
crop products are quite common now – 50 million acres
are planted in the US alone in GM seed, including 40 commercial
crops (for instance, 1/3 of the US soybean crop is now GM).
Ms. Goldburg pointed out several concerns over GM foods:
First, GM foods may have traditional food safety problems,
as with any additive such as a sweetener or food colorant.
Second, the GM crops may be toxic to people (as in botulism),
or to wildlife (for instance, GM corn has been recently implicated
in killing monarch butterflies). Third, Ms. Goldburg noted
worries about allergenicity and GM foods, in cases where,
for example, a peanut gene were implanted in another food
and created anaphylatic shock in an unaware consumer (labelling
of GM foods has been very poor). A fourth concern is that
GM crops may allow heavier use of herbicides as most (29.1%)
of the seed is GM for herbicide resistance. A fifth set of
concerns center around the threat to organic farmers, who
rely on a natural pesticide, Bt, which is now being genetically
incorporated in mainstream agriculture, possibly leading to
Bt resistance in pests. She also noted that vegetarians, Muslims,
and others who choose to avoid meat in their diet may not
be able to if animal genes are inserted in other non-meat
foods.
Questions and Answers
Q: Are GM foods thought to be possibly mutagenic?
Ms. Goldburg had not seen evidence to that, and noted that
most concerns currently are on the short-term effects such
as toxicity and allergenicity.
Q: Is European resistance to GM imports trade or health-based?
Ms. Goldburg said that it could be a combination.
Q: Were GM foods cheaper or more costly to produce for
a farmer? Ms. Goldburg said that net financial losses
had been seen in GM corn and soybeans.
Q: Does labelling allow consumers to distinguish GM and
non-GM foods? Ms. Goldburg said that labelling was very
inadequate, and that this was particularly worrisome because
GM ingredients were being included in commonly eaten foods
(Doritos), and foods for the most vulnerable (infant formula).
Q. What is the future of GM meats? Ms. Goldburg
said that genetically engineered fish would likely be the
first, since they are most plastic and easily manipulated,
and that a fast-growing Atlantic Salmon would probably be
the first GM fish to market. Ms. Goldburg expressed concerns
about GM animals, since they are dramatically more mobile
than most plants, and create a greater threat of modified
genes spreading into the environment.
Q: What is the liability of farmers who choose to replant
GM seed? Ms. Goldburg confirmed that Monsanto was suing
farmers for replanting. |
