Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture

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Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture

• Agricultural Trade
• Pollen Drift
• Identity Preservation

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Trade presents major problems

• Europeans have (mostly) zero tolerance for
  biotech crops.
• As a result, Europe is not buying much corn or
  soybean from USA.
• Corn or soybean bought by Europe still decreases
  total supply.

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Fine points to GMO trade

• Europe wouldnt buy much corn anyway
• Even in Europe, concern is more over
  certification than actual test levels
• Level of resistance to GMO crops still differs by
  country
• Most US corn sellers have not been getting a
  premium for non-GMO corn
• US still supplies more non-GMO corn than market
  requires
• ---Randall Fortenbery, UW-Madison Ag Econ

4
Soybeans are different

• Non-GMO soybeans are getting to be hard to find
• Europe buys its Soybean from Brazil which SAYS it
  is a non-GMO producer
• Much of Brazils Soybean production is GMO in
  reality
• China, a big customer for US soybeans, still
  working out terms of trade re GMO
• ---Randall Fortenbery, UW-Madison Ag Econ

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Social impacts of Agricultural Biotechnology

• US consumers havent been as resistant as
  Europeans
• US consumers may trust their food supply more
  Europeans have had some bad experiences (Mad Cow)
• In farm country, developing separate streams of
  grain and beans has caused some disruption in
  markets.

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Pollen Drift

• Pollen from GMO corn can drift onto silk of corn
  headed for non-GMO markets
• Kernels resulting from that drift will be
  detectable as GMO at the elevator
• 660 feet is the normal set-back in seed corn
  production, but seed corn is allowed a small
  tolerance, non-GMO corn is not

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Pollen drift problems might be avoided

• Neighboring corn farmers COULD talk to each other
  about planting intentions
• Most GMO producers plant some non-GMO, they COULD
  plant them where they will serve as a buffer to
  neighboring non-GMO fields.

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BGH or rBgh or BST

• Injectable protein made by genetically engineered
  bacteria
• Cows give more milk, maintain peak production
  longer in lactation
• Increased milk production has to be met with
  increased feed intake
• No evidence use patterns depend on size of farm
  scale neutral

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Golden Rice

• Engineered to produce more vitamin A precursor,
  beta-carotene
• In Southeast Asia, 70 of children under the age
  of five suffer from vitamin A deficiency
• Vision impairment and increased disease
  (diarrhea) are the result of deficiency
• Variety will be released to subsistence farmers,
  may correct deficiencies in diets

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Golden Rice opponents

• Doubt the ability of golden rice to eliminate
  vitamin A deficiency
• Say GE strategy at the expense of more relevant
  approaches.
• Say better use the inexpensive and nutritious
  foods already available
• Golden rice is merely a marketing event
• Poor farmers have long been deprived of the
  right to choose their means of production and
  survival. Golden rice is not going to change
  that, and nor will any other corporately-pushed
  GE crop.
• Any further attempts at the commercial
  exploitation of hunger and malnutrition through
  the promotion of genetically modified foods
  should be strongly resisted.
• Coalition of anti-golden rice groups from several
  countries, Feb, 2001

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Non-cross pollinating corn

• Developed by UW-Madison Agronomist Jerry Kermicle
• Derived from non-cross-pollinating teosinte (corn
  ancestor) plants in Mexico
• Can be bred into corn using traditional breeding
  methods.

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Non-cross pollinating corn

• Promoted as a way to solve pollen drift problems.
• Could be bred into non-GMO varieties to protect
  them from GMO pollen.
• Opponents ask Is it right for non-GMO and
  organic producers to be asked to pay to protect
  themselves from GMOs?

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Contamination of nontransgenic crops

• Questions to ask
• Contamination of seed has long been a problem in
  production of corn, other field-pollinated crops.
  Why is this different?
• Is the problem caused by the pollen, or by the
  definition of GMO genes as contaminants?
• Does a no-tolerance rule make sense?
• How similar are todays crops to what your
  grandfather planted?
• Could neighbor notification of planting
  intentions ease problems?

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Slide set developed in part through SEE
Biotechnology
Consortium to address the social, economic and
ethical implications of agricultural Biotechnology