October 2001

A Guide For Conservative Parliamentarians

BACKGROUND

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are defined in Part six of the Environmental Protection Act (1990) as an organism whose genes, or genetic material "have been modified by means of an artificial technique.... or are inherited or otherwise derived, through any number of replications, from genes or other genetic material...which were so modified."

Around 35 million hectares of GM crops such as tomatoes, cotton, tobacco, oilseed rape, maize and some varieties of soya have been grown commercially world wide. 75% was in the United States of America. In Britain GM crops are planted for only research and trial purposes - approx. 300 hectares in 1999. However, three GM foods have been given approval for sale in the UK; a tomato paste manufactured from GM tomatoes with an altered ripening pattern, and soya and maize, resistant to specific herbicides. Some genetically modified enzymes have also been given approval for use; rennet, used in cheese manufacture, can now be replaced by a GM enzyme.

HOW BIOTECHNOLOGY WORKS

Recent developments in GM technique involve taking a single or small number of genes, which are then inserted into a host's DNA. These relocated genes are known as transgenes, and may be completely different from the species. The transgenes may be "switched" on or off resulting in the trait being acquired by the recipient in a controlled manner.

The DNA from different organisms is essentially the same, made up of the same materials. DNA is transferred by cutting a gene segment from a chain of DNA using an enzyme which cuts across a specific base sequence. The enzyme then cuts open a bacterial plasmid and the DNA segment is inserted into the plasmid ring using another enzyme. The plasmid is often returned to a mineral complex to aid growth. Genetic material will not normally function in a different species, so a "promotor" - taken from a virus- is used to "switch on " the gene in the new organism. These promotors force the foreign gene to be expressed at 10 to 1000 times the level of its own genes.

ADVANTAGES

Environmental / Agricultural

• Reduces the need for pesticide application, as plants will have the ability to protect themselves from certain pests and diseases
• Decreases water usage, soil erosion and greenhouse gas emissions through more sustainable farming practices
• Improves productivity of marginal cropland
• Innovations will triple crop yields without requiring any additional farmland, saving valuable rain forests and animal habitats
• United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation have said that "new technologies - such as biotechnologies - are a responsible way to enhance agricultural productivity today and in the future."
• With biotechnology it is possible to identify specific genetic characteristics and isolate and transfer them to valuable crop plants. This technique is more efficient than traditional crop breeding methods, and produces higher yields
• Agricultural biotechnology is capable of improving supplies of livestock feeds
• New subsistence crops that will extend agriculture into ecologically marginal areas, such as saline soils, soil poor in nutrients and drought-affected regions

Health

• Increase of shelf life of consumer foods
• Delayed ripening for transportability
• High performance cooking oils which will maintain texture at raised temperatures, reduce processing needs, and create healthier products from peanuts, soybeans, and sunflowers
• Edible crops which will carry vaccines against some of the world's worst diseases
• Reduction of undesirable qualities such as saturated fats in cooking oil
• Elimination of allergens
• Lower prices
• Increase in nutrients that help reduce the risk of chronic disease
• Better delivery of proper nutrients such as vitamin A in commonly consumed crops

Political

• Developing countries will benefit economically from having cheaper crops available to them. This will aid in preventing famine.
• Money produced from biotechnology companies can help fund further research, benefiting the country.

Human Rights

• People have a right to life. By creating widely available and cheap food supply many lives can be saved by the prevention of famine.

This is an example of an emotive argument in favour of GM crops:

DISADVANTAGES

Environmental / Agricultural

• Concerns about cross-pollination. Plants grown for food are similar to wild plants, making it easy for GM crops to cross-pollinate with then and other near-by non-GM crops. The results of cross breeding are as yet unknown, and there are concerns about wild plants developing resistance to common agricultural herbicides, resulting in the need for increasingly powerful weedkillers.
• Cultivation of herbicide tolerant crops may induce more extravagant methods of herbicide use, which could affect the entire food chain.
• GM plants are often particularly fertile, and may therefore spread more rapidly and could wipe out less competitive plants, leading to a reduction in the gene pool.
• A drop in species diversity could also be brought about by further intensification of agriculture as a direct result of GMOs.
• Unknown effects of insect resistant GM crops, which are designed to kill insects on contact. It is unknown what else the crops may kill, and insects will develop resistance within time, leading to an increased use of chemicals.
• Organic farming is becoming increasingly popular. There are claimed benefits to the soil, for farmers, the consumer and the planet. Recent research has shown that organic farms produce consistently and sustainably higher yields than chemical based farms.
• Crops which have been Genetically Modified to resist herbicides encourage the use of larger quantities of herbicide, with the effect that both weeds and beneficial plants are killed indiscriminately. These herbicides are therefore harmful to both the environment and to humans.
• The use of Genetically Modified seed encourages dependence by the farmers on a single seed supplier and may involve the purchase of both seed and herbicide from one supplier. The farmer is then at the mercy of the seed company who may vary the price of both seed and herbicide at will.

Health

• Biotechnology industry claims to have done long-term tests of GM foods, usually for a maximum of three years. Industry scientists and governments say this is safe, but it is interesting to note that the same was said about BSE in cattle as recently as 1995.
• Levels of natural toxins produced in small quantities in plants could be increased by genetic engineering as well as decreased.
• Toxic compounds such as glyphosphate and Bromoxylin are used on GM crops. The US environment Agency has approved the use of Bromoxynil despite acknowledging "...serious concerns about development risks to infants and children."
• Genetic material inserted into plants can transfer to animals and humans in the intestinal wall.
• Changes could occur while transferring genes as the number of replications within the genome cannot be controlled.
• Unknown allergens.
• It is difficult to predict accurately the implications for both human and animal health.
• Experimental crops continue to be planted and GM ingredients continue to be used in 60% of processed foods.

Political

• Biotechnology companies make huge profits and control massive amounts of money. This buying power gives them influence over governments, particularly in the developing countries. The British Department of Trade and Industry gives millions of pounds to promote biotechnology in Britain.
• Monsanto uses the argument that the world is short of food and that biotech products will help feed the world. However, this sidelines the massive inequalities of food and wealth distribution. The biggest health problem in America is obesity, and in Europe farmers are paid not to grow crops because of huge surpluses.
• World Trade Organisation laws are constructed to prevent people in Europe - under penalty of trade restrictions- from insisting that GM soya from the USA is segregated from non-GM soya.

Human Rights

• Everybody has a right to know what they are eating. European labelling laws are the strictest in the world, yet they still fail to force manufacturers to disclose many of the GM ingredients already in processed food. For example GM soya lecithin is used in a number of products, yet is not labelled as such.
• Farmers and individuals have a right to grow organic food. However, if near by fields are planted with GM crops cross-pollination is a threat, compromising the integrity of the organic crop and risking the withdrawal of their Soil Association licence. Therefore, GM threatens the existence of organic farming, the only viable alternative to chemical-based agriculture.

Issues

Why are animals being genetically engineered?
GM animals reach slaughter weight more quickly and encourage resistance to diseases that often come as a result of overcrowding and unhygenic factory farms. Monsanto owns a patent on a GM growth hormone (rBST) which is injected into cows in order to increase milk yields. It also causes mastitis and contains high levels of the substance IGF-1 which has been linked to colon and breast cancer.

Are there GM crops being grown in the UK?
No crops have received a licence to be planted on a commercial scale. There are 300 deliberate release sites where crops are being tested and are awaiting approval. Crops could get commercial licenses in the UK within a year.

Are we already eating GM food?
GM soya is in 60% of all processed foods in forms such as vegetable oil, soya flour and Soya protein. GM maize is now found in 50% of processed foods such as corn and corn starch. GM tomato puree is sold in some supermarkets and GM enzymes are used throughout the food processing industry.

Labelling
Government regulations on labelling exclude between 95-98% of some 30,000 products containing GM ingredients because they ignore derivatives from GM foods such as soya oil. A recent ICM poll found that 95% of people in the UK wanted clear labelling of all GM foods including the derivatives which are excluded.

What is genetic pollution?
Genes that have been engineered into plants and animals are able to transfer to other species through interbreeding. The interbreeding of GM organisms into complex ecosystems may be deleterious and lead to knock on effects that we may be unable to control.

How will GM crops affect biodiversity?
Biotechnology has the capacity to create a greater variety of commercial plants. Trans National Corporations are creating a broad international market for a single product, thereby creating the conditions for genetic uniformity in rural landscapes. However, the use of GM crops may lead to a reduction in the gene pool as stronger crops replace the weaker ones.

Do GM crops have a part to play in creating more food for the growing world population?
During the last century the world population tripled to 6 billion. Some 800 million people primarily in the developing world still do not have sufficient food. Forty thousand people die every day from malnutrition. GM crops could increase food production and help prevent malnutrition. However, farmers may be caught in a viscous circle increasingly dependent on a small number of giant multinationals for their survival.

One view point from the internet: "Millions of acres of farmland aren't being planted because crop prices are too low, while thousands more acres produce fuels and fibre, not food. GM foods aren't the answer to world hunger. Money for people to buy food is."

VIEW POINTS

The Commission

The Commission has adopted a new proposal on the labelling and traceability of GMOs. This includes a centralised scientific assessment undertaken by Commission scientists of GM crops, strict labelling rules for GM plants and foods, and a system which allows GM ingredients to be traced when they enter the food chain.

New Directive introduces specific provisions such as the withdrawal of products if an unexpected human health risk or the environment has been identified, the targeted monitoring of the potential effects on human health or the environment, if necessary; and the control of labelling.

The Commission proposes that traceability be based upon the transmission and retention of relevant documentation. An obligation to transmit the unique code stops when a GMO is transformed in a product.

COPA/COGECA
(Committee of Agricultural Organisations in the European Union)
(General Committee for Agricultural Cooperation in the European Union)

Following the reduction in aid for protein crops decided in Agenda 2000 there has been a 13% reduction in the area under protein crops in the RU. COPA and COGECA therefore request an increase of the supplementary aid for protein crops to at least 20EUR/t in order to reverse this trend.

In regard to oilseeds and given the continued US policy on soya, they request the introduction of a safety net for oilseeds, either taking a form similar to the US loans deficiency payments or similar to the US subsidized crop insurance system.

Referring to grain legumes they request an increase to the maximum guaranteed area for vetch in order to encourage this production for feed purposes.

Worldwide Fund for Nature

Recognises the potential benefits provided by GMOs especially to medical application, but is also concerned about possible dangers involved in releasing GMOs into the general environment through agriculture. Concerned about reduction in gene pool due to intensive breeding and forced evolution.

While the use of GM crops for pest or drought tolerance may bring benefits it could also create undesirable effects on ecological processes and ecological sustainability.

The WWF would like to see a strong precautionary approach to the use and release of GMOs into the wild. More ecological research needs to be done before long lasting damage is created.

Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the European Union

While recognising that the Commission proposal contains a few improvements to the existing regulatory system, there are many aspects in the Commission proposal that will create unnecessary additional complexity and will add further legal uncertainty. There is no evidence that the new regulatory system will provide better consumer protection or broader consumer choice. The CIAA would like the Commission to consider the development of a robust set of regulations that will be as relevant in the future as they will be today, and which should be constructed with a view of the future global market. Any system needs to develop on the basis of safety, practical limitations, proportionality, economics and enforceability on a global scale.

Greenpeace

Greenpeace believes that any irreversible release of GMOs into the environment is irresponsible given the present state of knowledge about their possible adverse effects on the environment and human health. They believe that there is already sufficient evidence that the release of GMOs can have irreversible effects and that their genetic pollution may lead to self-replicating and man-made destruction of the environment. Living entities like maize kernels, potatoes, tomatoes, or cereal grains can generate new plants. Even if the intended use is processing for food or feed, there is always the risk of spill-over or use for replanting.

Greenpeace states that, "Any country with a centre of diversity for one or more crop plants under its jurisdiction should take specific legislative measures to forbid the introduction and cultivation of GM varieties of these crops. As small-scale field trials also present the risk of outcropping, these should be banned as well. Prior consultation with neighbouring states should be mandatory before any country can decide to grow GM crops. Measures must also be taken to prevent illegal international movement of GM crops to centres of diversity. Urgent national and international measures are required to stop genetic erosion and to protect the global heritage of the world's crop diversity in their regional environment and cultural context. "

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements

This organisation promotes organic agriculture and consequently views the solutions to problems as being through organic measures, not chemical. For example the problem of antibiotic hormones in animal husbandry causing health problems can be solved by not using chemicals, improved animal systems, integrating animals and crops, and alternative disease treatments. Another key problem such as falling biodiversity in the surrounding environment can be aided by not using agochemicals, or GM crops and diversified production.

World Health Organisation

"The benefits of biotechnology are many and include providing resistance to crop pests to improve production and reduce chemical pesticide usage, thereby making major improvements in both food quality and nutrition."

World Health Organization Expert Consultation on Biotechnology and Food Safety; October 1996

Monsanto

Monsanto has a past record as a chemical manufacturer, and is now heavily involved in promoting GMOs. They claim that biotechnology will be the "saviour of the world" feeding many in third world countries. Their other arguments in favour of GMOs include their belief that they will allow for the reduction, if not elimination, of environmentally toxic pesticides and fertilisers, and biotechnology is therefore good for the environment. They also state that biotech foods are the most extensively researched and regulated food produced in the world.

Crop Research Institute, Dundee

GMOs are aiding the treatment of cancer with highly positive results. This new technology is providing hope to thousands and is allowing scientists to explore new areas of cancer treatment. Research into this method of treatment has only just begun, but substantial numbers believe it could hold the key to future cures of many of the cancers.

CONCLUSIONS

There is always an element of risk involved at the frontier of scientific research. It is fundamentally important to see if the benefits likely to be gained are greater than the costs. At present we do not know enough about the subject to make an informed decision, but without further investigation and research, we can never hope to advance our knowledge.

SOME USEFUL CONTACTS

AgBioWorld
www.agbioworld.org
A site with collected endorsements from 3200 scientists in support of GMOs.

Alliance for BioIntegrity
www.bio-integrity.org
A non-profit, non-political organisation that aims to inspire broad-based responsible action to uphold the integrity of the natural order and inform the public about technologies and practices that negatively impact health and the environment. Regarding GMOs, this group hopes to educate the masses about unprecedented dangers, secure a sound system for safety testing of GMOs and secure a meaningful system of labelling the foods.

The BBC
www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/gmfood.shtml
Web page contains a debate between three scientists, and balanced information about GMOs

Biodemocracy and Organic Consumers Association
www.purefood.org
A group which writes articles regarding GMOs, and action alerts, as well as "Frankenfoods," a helpful list of genetically modified foods and crops.

Biosafety web pages
www.icgeb.triest.it
This is a huge database of more than 1,700 articles from 1990 to present published in international scientific journals on biosafety and risk assessment for the release of GMOs.

Biotech Action Montreal
www.bam.tao.ca
BAM is a citizen's action group established to lobby the government to render mandatory the labelling of genetically modified food products and their derivatives.

www.biotechnology.com
This is sponsored by Monsanto, and so is very pro-GMOs

Biotechnology Watch
www.infoshop.org/biotechwatch.html
This is a large database of articles and links regarding the struggle against GMOs.

Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods
www.thecampaign.org
Creates national grassroots movement to lobby Congress and the President to pass legislation to require labelling of GMOs

Centre for Food Safety
http://web60247.ntx.net/projects/cfs/
This project's mission is to use grassroots organising, public campaigning, media outreach and litigation to ensure the testing and labelling of genetically modified foods. The website offers a listing of 36 Genetically Altered Foods.

Consumer's International
www.consumerinternation.org
A worldwide non profit federation of consumer organisations dedicated to the protection and promotion of consumer interests, this group works to get legislation passed to label genetically modified foods.

Corporate Watch
www.corporatewatch.org
This is a research and publishing group whose primary aim is to support activism against large corporations. Their web page contains a detailed online briefing regarding genetically modified animal feeds and Agrevo, the chief cheerleader for genetic engineering and main corporate target for direct action protests.

Council for Responsible Genetics
www.gene-watch.org
This is a national organisation of scientists, public health advocates and others to promote comprehensive public interest agenda for biotechnology.

Food and Agriculture
www.bio.org/food&ag
More facts about the effect of GMOs on food and agriculture Food First www.foodfirst.org Through research and educational materials, this group empowers citizens to reveal how anti-democratic institutions and beliefs promote hunger and environmental deterioration. They offer lots of publications and reports on GMOs.

Friends of the Earth
www.foe.co.uk
Here is the largest international network of environmental groups in the world, represented in 58 countries and 250 communities in the UK. Friends of the Earth works to educate citizens about GMOs and encourage specific actions for more responsible genetic engineering.

Genetic Engineering Alliance
www.fiveyearfreeze.org
This group brings us the Five Year Freeze Campaign, which demands the government to introduce:
1) a minimum five year freeze on genetically modified crops for commercial purposes
2) imports of genetically modified foods and
3) farm crops and the patenting of genetic resources for food and training.

Genetic Engineering Network - UK
www.dmac.co.uk
Through monthly meetings and newsletters, this network facilitates exchange between groups who want labelling, moratoriums, complete bans or simply raised awareness regarding GMOs. Members include: Friends of the Earth, GenetiX Snowball, Green Party, Greenpeace and more.

Genetix
www.environment.org
This is an international website that makes suggestions for activists including writing letters and articles, talking to farmers and supermarket owners.

GenetiX Snowball
www.fraw.org.uk/gs/
This is a campaign of non-violent civil responsibility aiming to build active resistance to this new gene technology which is "unwanted, unnecessary and irreversible." Its primary goal is to safely remove small symbolic numbers of genetically modified plants from the ground and encourage others to take similar action.

Gene Watch
www.genewatch.org
Primarily an informational site, an online database of genetically modified foods and crops will be coming soon.

Greenpeace (as mentioned above)
www.greenpeace.org
This highly active organisation has fronted such campaigns as stopping a ship bringing genetically modified soya into the UK. Another campaign has filed an objection to the gene patent and asks for citizen's help.

Greenpeace True Food Campaign - UK
www.truefood.com
Here the emphasis is on getting people involved, not just being passive shoppers. True Food aims to ban genetically modified foods and phase out industrial farming.

Mothers for Natural Law
www.safe-food.org
This group encourages active campaigning through educating the public. Also sign an online petition to secure mandatory labelling.

Natural Law Party of the UK
www.natural-law-party.org.uk
This is a political party which campaigns for a complete ban on GMOs for food safety and the environment. In the meantime, they aim for full-disclosure labelling.

Norfolk Genetic Information Network
www.members.tripod.com
Their web page contains lots of FAQs regarding GMOs, articles and poetry; provides links and an email campaign.

Northeast Resistance Against Genetic Engineering
www.bckweb.com
This is an ad-hoc group of individuals and other groups throughout the North-eastern U.S. who question the need for genetically modified foods.

www.nuffield.org/bioethics/publications/modifiedcrops
Fairly balanced information site

One World
www.oneworld.net
Updated articles are provided on their webpage with links; also a guide on genetic engineering which aims to challenge and inform, suggesting alternatives to GMOs.

Organic Farmers' Market Association
This group provides public education and information on organic farming and resources to enhance food security and the environment. Check out articles and updates regarding GMOs.

Panos
www.panos.com.uk
This organization provides information and communications for sustainable development. Rural Advancement Foundation International This is a network against unfair patenting and bio-piracy.

Union of Concerned Scientists
www.ucsusa.org/index.html
This group focuses on research and education of the public through articles, fact sheets and case studies. They aim to ask hard questions about the risks and benefits of genetic engineering and see whether alternatives might accomplish the same purpose.