What is GMO?

GMO (also know as GR, Genetic Engineering) stands for Genetically Modified Organisms.  GM is a term used for the process of manipulating genes in an organism.  This radical technology allows genes to be moved between different species using laboratory techniques.

Genes are artificially inserted into or deleted form an organism in order to make the organism capable of producing new substances or performing new functions.

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What's wrong with GMO?  

GM foods raise unprecedented ethical and social concerns and pose serious threats to the environment, human health, animal welfare and agriculture.

GM foods on the market have not undergone adequate testing to ensure that they are safe to eat and safe for the environment.

Current research on GM foods is driven by companies producing the products and lacks independence.  GM foods are released into the environment without proper understanding of their wider ecological effects or control requirements

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Is genetically modified food really the solution for the future in a changing climate?

The stability of GM crops in the environment is questionable and there are serious health and safety concerns. Consumers are also concerned about labelling issues, and the resulting lack of choice for ‘natural’ food products. Similarly there are segregation, legislation and liability issues for those farmers whose crops may get contaminated with GM. 

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Health concerns and labelling issues

Consumers have the right to choose the quality of their food, and many of us are with an increasing demand for more natural food.  Consumers are also becoming increasingly distrusting of regulatory agencies that appear to promote their own industry over the interest of the public.

There remains huge concern about the impacts of GM foods on human health.  CSIRO researchers abandoned a long-term experiment in 2005 involving GM peas.  Peas were genetically modified to contain a bean gene that produces an inhibitor of the alpha-amylase enzyme.  This makes them resistant to beetle infestation as larvae are unable to digest pea starch.  However when the GM peas were fed to mice they development lung inflammation and consequently the 10-year experiment was abandoned for safety reasons.  

Widely consumed products such as honey may also be at risk if GM canola is commercially produced in Australia.  It is most likely that honey bee colonies would be required to pollinate canola crops.  Pollen from GM canola would be the most likely source of transgenic DNA into bee products and therefore present in honey.

Current food standards in Australia permit ingredients containing up to 1% (10g/kg) of unintended presence of GM material in food without requiring labelling (Food Standard Australia and New Zealand, FSANZ).  This does not include food from animals fed on GM feed, or in highly refined food such as cooking oil made from GM canola or cotton.

This put you and your family at risk of unknowingly eating GM foods and raises the issue of better labelling for food regulators to minimise consumers’ confusion and increasing demand for more ‘natural’ or ‘healthier’ options.

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Cross pollination and super-weeds

Canola pollen can remain viable for up to a week and can be found to travel up to 2.5 kilometres from the source.  Gene flow between fields is a matter of pollen competition, flowering synchrony and relative density.  It can also occur via the shattering of seed pods and dispersal of seeds during harvesting or transportation being found on roadsides and verges.

It is possible that gene flow from GM canola to relative species will be more favourable when the relative is the less common species.

Gene flow between GM canola and its Brassica relatives is inevitable.  Canola (Brassica napus) can potentially hybridise with many of its relatives i.e. many cabbage varieties and some mustard (e.g. Sinapis arvensis) and wild raddish species creating hybrids that are sterile.  It has been reported that hybridisation between B. napus and B. rapa averaged 7% and 13.6% in field experiments and commercial fields respectively.  Crops such as B. rapa have weed-like characteristics so hybridisation and adoption of transgenic traits may cause them to become weedier and more invasive. 

There is also evidence of potential gene flow between canola and sugarbeet, sunflower and rice. Growers of conventional and organic produce have concerns that their crops will be contaminated causing organic growers to lose their organic certification through no fault of their own.  Legislation and liability issues for such growers needs to be addressed.  

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