Its Farmers Week, and its the appropriate occasion to call attention to the dangers posed by genetically engineered crops in the Philippines.

Genetic engineering (GE) is a very new technology, its commercialization having begun only in the 1990s. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are living things that have been conferred qualities or traits that they do not naturally have, and this is achieved through the random insertion of one or a few genes from another organism into the host organisms genetic make-up in a way that can never happen in nature.

Why GMOs are Controversial

GMOs are very controversial. The first reason is that genetic engineering disrupts the precise sequence of genetic codes and disturbs the functions of neighboring genes, which for food, may give rise to potentially toxic or allergenic molecules or even alter the nutritional value of food produced. An example of this is that the Bt toxin being used in GMO corn, for example, was recently detected in the blood of pregnant women and their babies, with possibly harmful consequences.

A second reason has to do with genetic contamination. A GMO crop, once released in the open, reproduces via pollination and interacts genetically with natural varieties of the same crop, producing what is called genetic contamination. An example of this is Bt corn, which was reported in a study published in Nature, one of the worlds leading scientific journals, to have contaminated indigenous varieties of corn in Oaxaca, Mexico.

A third reason is that a GMO, brought into natural surroundings, may have a toxic or lethal impact on other living things. Thus, it was found that Bt corn destroyed the larvae of the monarch butterfly, raising well grounded fears that many other natural plant and animal life may be impacted in the same way.

A fourth reason is that the benefits of GMOs have been oversold by the people or companies that benefit economically from it, like Monsanto or Syngenta. Most genetically engineered (GE) crops are either engineered to produce their own pesticide in the form of Bacillus thurengiensis (Bt) or are designed to be resistant to herbicides, so that herbicides can be sprayed in massive quantities to kill pests. It has been shown, however, that insects are fast developing resistance to Bt as well as to herbicides, resulting in even more massive infestation by the new superbugs. There is also no substantial evidence that GM crops yield more than conventional crops; in fact several scientific studies have proven that the opposite is true. What GM crops definitely do lead to is higher pesticide use, which is harmful both to humans and the planet.

Bans on GMOs

Owing to the dangers and risks posed by genetically engineered organisms, many governments have instituted total or partial bans on their cultivation, importation and field testing. A few years ago, there were 16 countries that had GMO bans. Now there are at least 26, including Switzerland, Australia, Austria, China, India, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, Mexico and Russia. Significant restrictions on GMOs exist in about 60 other countries.

Restraints on trade in GMOs based on phyto-sanitary grounds, which are allowed under the World Trade Organization, have increased. Already, American rice farmers face strict limitations on their exports to the European Union, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, and bans from Russia and Bulgaria because unapproved GE rice escaped during open-field trials on GMO rice. Thai exports to Europe, particularly canned fruit salad/fruit cocktail containing papaya to Germany, and sardines in soy oil to Greece and the Netherlands, were banned due to threat of contamination by GMOs. And, closer to home, Japan stopped importation of organic corn from Ifugao following news that the corn was contaminated by GE corn.

Originally posted here:
The invasion of Bt talong and other GMOs

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