The Study
Perhaps not as surprising as it should be, new research from Quebec, published in the peer reviewed journal Reproductive Toxicology in May 2011, indicates that the toxin not only survives digestion, but enters the blood stream. Further, they found that it is passed to foetuses. (The study included tests for two other herbicides - you can find details in the footnote).
Although there have always been concerns about the toxicity and potential allergenicity of Bt proteins - and reports of adverse reactions to the natural form as a spray have been well documented - the toxin in question is approved by the EU, and the UK's Food Standards Agency followed suit.
This new research clearly calls in to question the validity of the risk-assessment of GMO's - their effect on the environment, on humans (long-term, cumulative, and inter-generational effects), and the political and economic implications of the patents being given that monopolise control of the world's genetic resources for food farming.
What Are They Doing?
For thousands of years, farmers and plant breeders have used selective breeding to improve things like yield, size, taste, resistance to disease and so on. The GM lobby often claims that what they do is no different. This is a mis-representation. Genetic modification involves taking foreign DNA or transgenes from several different species, creating a package and then inserting it into the target organism. The transgenetic package typically consists of genes from a virus, a bacteria, and either a plant and/or an animal.
Some of the "successes" these experiments have turned out are:
- Crops that contain built-in pesticidal bacteria
- Crops that are compatible with spray-pesticides so that otherwise deadly quantities can be used without causing damage (to the crops, anyway...)
- Potatoes that contain DNA from spiders, to produce artificial silk;
- Fruits that contain DNA from flounder fish to provide greater frost resistance
- Soy beans that contain Omega-3 fats
- Corn that contains genes that weigh sperm down, to be used as contraceptive
- Cows that contain human DNA so that they can produce human breastmilk
This would clearly never happen in nature, and even the people that do these experiments don't truly understand the ways in which genes interact with one another. The trouble is, living organisms, plants and animals are not like cars where you can chop and change parts. The natural world is a delicate and balanced ecosystem comprised of delicate and balanced ecosystems. Once these changes are made, they are forever a part of our ecology.
In addition to this new study, GM produce has been linked to organ disruption, infertility, allergies, and super-bugs (references can be provided). While it's beyond the scope of this article to discuss the wide-ranging potential dangers of GM crops (it's a big subject - have a look at Further Reading), it's clear that the regulators are happy to use us and the environment as guinea pigs, without any kind of consent. Billions of people are consuming GM produce every day and GM crops are contaminating non-GM crops.
The Situation Here
It's only the refusal of shoppers to buy GM in the late 1990's (after GM foods were introduced without consultation or labelling) that has kept us from following in the steps of the USA. Yet our Government has already given the go-ahead for the commercial growing of GM maize in the UK and consistently votes in favour of the approval of new GM products at the European Union. Again, once these products get into the food chain, and once they contaminate non-GM crops, there is simply no going back.
It's also worth noting that the present Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is Caroline Spelman. Something we should all be very aware of - beyond her part in the expenses scandal wherein she wrongly claimed £40,000 in cleaning and bills, hundreds for council tax and two year's employment of a nanny - is that she and her husband co-own a lobbying firm for the food and biotechnology industry. (Her husband's other job is as senior executive at the global outsourcing firm Accenture, which is involved in the operation of the much-criticised 'farm payments scheme').
The Bottom Line
Those of us in the UK should seriously consider becoming proactive now if we want to keep GMO's out of the foodchain to protect ourselves and future generations. This is big, dirty business and nobody is going to protect our interests for us. If you'd like to learn more, we recommend a few websites in Further Reading. We'd encourage you to forward this information on, to write to your MP, and to remain vigilant as the biotech agenda progresses.
Further Reading
Who Benefits From GM Crops? - GM crops can feed the world! Will they? Is that what they're for? This link will take you to a fascinating report by Friends Of The Earth International.
Video coverage of the Wikileaks leaked cable wherein France's decision to ban GM corn was reacted to with the order to cause the E.U "some pain".
Stop GM - a nicely presented website with a wealth of information on the GM issue.
The Institute For Responsible Technology - their website contains lots of good information, including the blog of Jeffrey Smith, a leading consumer advocate, who has written some very good articles on the subject of GMO's.
The Permaculture Association - after all the reading about what's wrong with GMO's you may be wondering what we would suggest the future of farming could be. Permaculture is an ingenuitive agricultural system that takes its principles from the natural world. Find out more!
Footnote:
The researchers also looked for, and found, two herbicides used on GM herbicide tolerant crops in blood samples. Glyphosate is used on Monsanto Roundup Ready (RR) crops and Glufosinate on Bayer's Liberty Link (LL) crops. Both were found in the non-pregnant women, as was glufosinate's metabolite 3-MMPA. The researchers did not speculate about potential health impacts, as this was beyond the scope of their study, although concerns about the safety of both weed killers have been repeatedly raised by other scientists since their use on GM crops has increased their use.
Use of glyphosate in South America and the US has escalated dramatically since GM crops were approved in the mid 1990s, despite the assurances from the GM industry that the intention of the crops is to reduce pesticide use.
Safety concerns about both products have been growing since the introduction of GM herbicide tolerant crops, including links to Parkinson's disease and cancer in the case of glyphosate. The maximum permitted residue level for crops directly sprayed with glyphosate, such at GM HT crops, were raised over 200 tines in the 1990's.
Safety concerns about both products have been growing since the introduction of GM herbicide tolerant crops, including links to Parkinson's disease and cancer in the case of glyphosate. The maximum permitted residue level for crops directly sprayed with glyphosate, such at GM HT crops, were raised over 200 tines in the 1990's.
