Genetically Engineered Food Plants&;#063;

Genetically Engineered Food Plants?

Recent reports indicate that genetically
engineered maize with a gene from a fish is being sold
commercially by Monsanto. The argument given by Monsanto for
growing these crops was that less insecticides would be necessary
and that the plants would be resistant to weedkiller.

However this gene also makes the plant resistant to some
antibiotics. There is a danger that animals and humans eating
much of this food would also be resistant to antibiotics, so that
many illnesses would be untreatable.

In former days DDT was developed and successfully used against
mosquitos carrying malaria. At that time there was initially a
good outcome. But it was a short-term success and people
sensibly decided to use other methods against malaria when it was
found that there was a build-up of DDT in the fat tissues of
animals eating the insects and that the human food-chain
contained DDT. Many wild birds died. There was a danger to
animal life and eventually to humans. This induced the
discontinuance of DDT. Other dangerous organo-chloride
insecticides like dieldrin and benzene hexachloride were
eventually banned.

But once foreign genes widely different from genes accepted by
plants in nature have been placed in food plants, there is no
going back. It would be impossible to ban it if there were
unfortunate results in the future. It would be out there in the
environment being communicated by nature's way of natural
selection. The maize plants would probably grow well. But would
all animals and humans do well?

Monsanto's scientists would say that the experiment should not
be banned. I agree but do not think a large human population
should be subjected to this unpredictable experiment. The work
could be done in a contained environment and not exploited
commercially for 20 years. I suggest that possibly the
scientists themselves could eat the food produced?

One of today's problems is that major research carried out by
large companies needs to show short-term profit. They cannot
wait 20 years. In former times, Government or University
laboratories proceeded with far more caution, did not need
commercial secrecy and the results were far more satisfactory.
Commercial companies developed the work at a later date.

Maybe the reason why personal computers are now cheap, useful and
environmentally safe (with only minor safety precautions needed
for heavy users) is that there have been several generations of
computers, proceeding from the University research in the 1950's
to commercial large-scale production in the 1980's.

Food is a far more fundamental human and animal need.
Evolutionary not revolutionary change is even more essential in
this field.