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Essay: Should New Zealand allow GMO crops?

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  • Subject area(s): Science essays
  • Reading time: 7 minutes
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  • Published: 2 March 2022*
  • Last Modified: 22 July 2024
  • File format: Text
  • Words: 1,942 (approx)
  • Number of pages: 8 (approx)
  • Tags: Gene editing essays

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GMO crops or ‘Genetically Modified Organisms’ are plants with DNA that has been genetically modified in order to improve the traits of the said organism. This can be done through Transgenesis which is the process of introducing a new gene into the genome of an organism. There are two main categories of transgenesis that can be used to alter the genetics. The first is called Transduction and is using a virus to introduce the gene into the cell. The other is called Transfection and involves the use of a vector. A vector is a way to get a new gene into the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell. Without a vector, the eukaryotic cell cannot accept the DNA.

The gene comes from another organism and is inserted through a process of three main steps. Before the gene can be inserted, they must identify which specific sequence codes for the correct protein. Scientists find this desirable protein through multiple different techniques and do so in other organisms. Once the protein sequence has been identified, the scientists must isolate it in order to be able to transfer it to the new organism. The cell can be broken up mechanically or with chemical treatments such as detergents. The target gene must be separated from the other sections of DNA in a process called centrifugation which is done using a restriction enzyme. Using a process called Gel Electrophoresis, the DNA fragments would be separated depending on their size. A DNA probe then identifies the desired gene fragment which is then removed and copied using a process called Polymerase chain reaction(PCR). Sometimes the researchers also already know the DNA sequence on the other side of the gene and in this case, they do not need to isolate in the gel and instead can just copy it using PCR.

After the identification of the genome occurs, it must be transformed into the organism. Different cell types allow for different transformation techniques. This transformation is done using a vector. For the gene to be successfully transformed, promoter and termination sequences must be found on either side of the gene. This DNA sequence with the specific promoter is called the Gene Construct and is specific depending on where the gene is going. This gene construct must be in the nucleus of the cells for it to be able to replicated. The cell must combine into the genome of the organism before it can be replicated. As a result of this, a reporter gene is added to the gene construct. Some of the possible vectors for the genome to be inserted into the organism are Electroporation, Pro-nuclear injection, gene gun, viral vector or Plasmid vector. Transgenesis is often not successful and can take a long time to work but when it does, it creates an organism with its own genes as well as genes from another organism.

Although there has been no solid proof of any negative implications to the use of Genetically modified foods, there has been fear that the creation of modified organisms could negatively impact antibiotic resistance. If humans were to become resistant to antibiotics, many of our current medical treatments would become redundant. Antibiotic resistant genes are used in GMO plants as marker genes in order for the researchers to be able to identify which genes have the new genome. There has been worry in the scientific community that these antibiotic resistant genes could be picked up by the bacteria in our gut. This would mean that we could start to become resistant to these antibiotics and would have no defense to deadly illnesses such as pneumonia or even the common flu.

Although there are many possible risks to GMO crops, there are also many ways that GMO crops could improve not only the lives of the people eating them but also the people growing them. Currently, pesticides are the only way to control disease organisms and many farmers are forced to use them in order to be able to have a successful yield of plants that are not affected by pests. A downside of using these pesticides is that they can cause serious health hazards for the farmer. Short term, they can cause serious poisoning and long term, they have been linked to diabetes, cancer and Parkinson’s disease. As a way to resolve this issue, researchers have found a way to insert pest resistant genes into organisms. This will mean that farmers will no longer have to spray copious amounts of chemicals onto the plants. This will not only benefit the farmers but will also be good for the environment as pesticides also run the risk of staying on crops and in the surrounding soil. The residual pesticide can get into nearby water sources and animals. Herbicide resistant crops have also been developed so that farmers only need to use one product on all of the crops and the GMO plant will not be affected. By using less chemical pesticides and herbicides, New Zealand will be working to becoming more environmentally friendly and sustainable. GM crops will not only benefit the New Zealand farmers but also our environment that New Zealanders are so proud of.

Many prominent people within government are also interested in opening up the discussion about using GM crops with people such as Sir Peter Gluckman opening up the debate.

“It is safe, there are no significant ecological or health concerns associated with the use of advanced genetic technologies. That does not mean that society automatically will accept them. And what we need is a conversation which we’ve not had in a long time that, I think, needs to be more constructive and less polarised than in the past.”

Sir Peter David Gluckman, Chief Science Advisor, New Zealand.

There has been extensive research done overseas by reputable organisations which prove how GM crops currently have no proven negative effects. Research by the World Health Organisation quotes:

“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.”

GM foods currently available on the international market have passed safety assessments and are not likely to present risks for human health. In addition, no effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved.”

World Health Organization

One person who is against the use of GM crops in New Zealand is Professor Jack Heinemann who is the director of the Centre for Integrated Research in Biosafety at the University of Canterbury. In a report, he stated that:

“If we develop GM pasture grasses we will put the high-value markets of Europe and certain Asian nations in jeopardy as they place a premium on GM-free produce. The case for GM crops is wanting. We could instead be building an alliance with the many other GM-free countries with which to trade in seed for the future, and investing in a changed way to farm for our own food and economic security.”

After analysing the research and opposing opinions, I believe that planting genetically modified crops in New Zealand would benefit not only the farmers planting these crops but also the people buying them. I believe that the benefits of allowing GMOs to be planted outweighs any biological risks or possible negative economic impacts. Many professionals within the scientific community are aware of the benefits and risks of GMO and still believe that they are positive and should be grown. As a result of this, I have also come to the belief the GMO crops should be planted in NZ. Dr. Tony Conner, Forage Science Group Leader and member of the Royal Society board stated:

“It is timely to have a public discussion about the merits or otherwise of gene editing, and potential applications and opportunities for New Zealand as a food producing nation. The genetic technologies are developing at such a pace internationally that it’s important we don’t get left behind, and as a society that we understand what gene editing is, and what it is not. The difficulty with public perceptions of any genetic technology is that it tends to be skewed in favour of the worst-case scenario, even when there is no real evidence of harm”.

We currently have very tight laws surround GMOs but with more research and more debate, I believe New Zealand should continue exploring the idea of being a GMO country. Many reports by the Royal Institute, have discussed this topic and if we continue to spread awareness of GMOs, I believe we would benefit greatly.

I would suggest that the New Zealand government creates a plan to start planting GMO crops in controlled environments with reduced possibility of cross-pollination to ensure that non GM farmers are not negatively impacted by this possible issue. Dr. Phil Dale, GM plant scientist at the John Innes Centre, a U.K. agricultural research institute stated that:

“There is no scientific justification for assuming this [the possibility of cross-pollination between GM plants and wild relatives] to be either undesirable or harmful in principle – each case needs consideration on its own merits.”

As taken from PBS,

“Industry spokespersons acknowledge the possibility that cross-pollination would occur between some types of GM crops and weeds. But they claim there are ways around that, such as creating GM crops that are male-sterile — that is, produce no pollen — or modifying a GM plant so its pollen doesn’t have the introduced gene. As for the danger of pests growing tolerant of plant-borne insecticide, farmers can create buffer zones of conventional crops around GM fields to give harmful insects something to feed on, reducing the selection pressure to adapt to the anti-pest plant. Buffer zones would also deter cross-pollination and provide a refuge for harmless and beneficial insects.”

This demonstrates that even though the risk of cross pollination is possible, there are many ways to prevent it and the negative impacts of it have yet to be proven. There has been discussion about how economics in New Zealand could be negatively impacted if we lose our GMO status but if the GMO crops are kept separate to the organic/ non GMO crops, there would be no issue with our current crop export. I would also recommend that the government creates an awareness program that allows the public to become aware of the benefits of GMO rather than just the non-definite risks. Research done at the University of Colorado found that people who were the most anti-GMO actually knew the least about it. This could mean that if we educate more people on the benefits, people could be more willing to support GMOs.

I used the website, PBS in my report as a source for implications and the process of transgenesis. This link helped me with my report as it gave both positive and negative implications for the GMO crops without bias and allowed me to have a better understanding of the possible risks but also the benefits of growing GMO crops. I believe that this source was valid and non biased as it gave equal information for both the positives and negatives of GMO crops. The report also used opinions of named professionals and gave opinions for both sides. There is also a detailed bibliography and the report has no obvious spelling errors. The report was written in 2001 and has a copyright date. Although this report was written a long time ago, the information within it still relevant today and highlights issues that are still occurring.

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