Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
GMOs are made by taking a gene from one organism and firing it into the DNA of an-
other organism along with a virus or bacteria to help the gene infect that DNA. The genes
from the giver and receiver organisms can come from entirely different domains — bacter-
ia, viruses, plants and animals. For example, trials are underway with human genes being
inserted into corn and rice, spider genes into goats, and jellyfish into pigs. Obviously, it's
nothing like the benign grafting and hybridizing that horticulturists have been practicing for
many years, although adherents regularly equate them.
Even though the biotech industry likes to promote the idea that their main goal is to cre-
ate more food for the starving masses, the kinds of genetic modifications they're making
suggest otherwise. The two main reasons genetic engineering is done in plants are to give
them the ability to produce their own pesticides and to make them resistant to herbicides.
Many people don't realize that GMOs make up the vast majority of corn, soy, cotton, and
canola, and that our processed foods contain a lot of ingredients derived from these crops.
Alfalfa will be on this list soon, as the USDA recently approved it against recommenda-
tions of its own committee. Also, farm animals feed on GMO plants, and even honeybees
feed on GMO pollen. At least 60% of foods in the U.S., therefore contain GMOs.
All of this is quite scary when almost all studies and some real-world experiences are
showing that GMOs can cause major health problems in animals, including humans. GMOs
are toxins, allergens and carcinogens that will promote new diseases and nutritional prob-
lems.
But here, I'm going to touch on a topic that is discussed somewhat less — the effect of
GMOs on the environment. For example,
Bacillus thuringiensis
(Bt) is a bacterium that
produces a substance toxic to some insects, such as caterpillars. It has been used as a biolo-
gical insecticide since the 1920s, and is now used to make Bt cotton, Bt corn, and Bt pota-
toes, which are genetically modified crops.
The DNA of these plants is altered with a gene from the bacteria that gives the plants the
ability to produce the toxin themselves. Research shows soil microbial life and beneficial
enzymes decrease when Bt crops are planted. One study concluded that soil life could be
entirely dead after 10 years under a Bt crop. Another study found the gene in GM corn was
passed to various soil organisms. We don't know exactly what happens in that situation, but
it seems that gene transfer from GM organisms to other organisms is commonplace. Other
plants are genetically engineered by companies to resist the herbicides they sell, such as
Roundup Ready soy. This allows farmers to spray their fields with Roundup, killing the
weeds but not the crops, making it easier for farmers to use herbicides, thereby increasing
the use of herbicides.
