Concerns Expressed During Debates on Transgenic Crops
| Concerns | Responses |
| 1. Genes are being moved across natural sexual barriers. This is sometimes considered “unnatural” and therefore “undesirable.” | Genes can be moved across sexual barriers by conventional breeding methods (e.g., ovary and embryo culture). Many natural things are bad for us (e.g., smallpox) and many unnatural things are good (e.g., immunization against smallpox). |
| 2. To introduce genes by transformation disturbs the natural “genetic balance” or order. | Mutation breeding has the potential to cause extensive changes in genetic balance and has been surprisingly successful in conventional breeding. |
| 3. It is difficult to predict the long-term impact of transgenic crops on food and the environment. | International methods of safety assessment are designed to assess this. It is necessary to draw on many years of experience in traditional breeding and, where necessary, the generation of novel data. Some countries are introducing long-term monitoring programs, where appropriate. |
| 4. There may be undesirable nontarget effects on friendly organisms within the environment, e.g., monarch butterfly, lacewing, ladybirds. | This is an important aspect of risk assessment and an area of considerable research interest. It is important to ask what the baseline is against which we compare the impact of transgenic crops. The most reasonable baseline is current agricultural practice with conventional crops. |
| 5. There may be erosion of traditional practices, particularly in developing countries. | It is very important to preserve traditional practices, such as farmer saved seeds, where they are of vital importance to local agriculture. Interestingly, hybrid rice varieties are widely used in China because of their higher yield. Farmers have to buy new seeds each year. |
| 6. Patenting life (genes and organisms) for some people is unethical. | Often an emotive subject. For progress to be made in crop improvement, programs either have to be publicly funded and seeds made more or less freely available, or supported by private companies who need a financial return for their investment. Patents last for ∼15–17 years, so in many instances a transgene patent will have <10 years to run when a new transgenic variety is released commercially. |
| 7. Substantially improved transgenic varieties may replace locally adapted varieties and landraces (genetic erosion). | This needs to be taken very seriously if we are to maintain sufficient genetic diversity in plant varieties. Transformation, however, can provide a means of inserting transgenes into locally adapted varieties without long periods of backcrossing. |
| 8. Transgenic crops may contribute further to the intensification of agriculture and the reduction in wildlife biodiversity. | Transgenic crops have the potential to aggravate or alleviate wildlife biodiversity, depending on how we use it. The ever more clinical control of pests, diseases, and weeds is likely to leave little food in the agricultural environment to support a diversity of wildlife. However, the more precise targeting of pest and disease resistance and the reduced dependence on control by sprays should favor friendly organisms in the environment and a diversity of food chains supported by them. |
| 9. There may be unanticipated effects on beekeeping and honey products. | The expression of transgenes in pollen and the potential effect on bees and honey are taken into account during safety assessment. |
| 10. Pollination by transgenic crops may result in organic crops losing their organic status. | The current view of the organic movement in the United Kingdom and several other countries is that “there is no place for transgenic crops in organic agriculture.” Factors to take into account when considering the significance of gene flow from transgenic crops to organic crops have been reviewed recently (Moyes and Dale 1999). Transgenic crops are likely to be of great importance in the development of integrated pest and disease management systems with minimal chemical inputs. |
| 11. Crops may be produced that become superweeds or have toxic/allergenic properties. | This outcome is probably more likely in conventional breeding where several thousands of unwanted genes are transferred into crops, often from wild relatives of the crop. Undesirable effects are considered carefully in the risk assessment. |
| 12. Irrespective of the scientific arguments, many people would like labeling of transgenic products and therefore the opportunity for choice. | This is essentially a political and social issue. If the refined product of a transgenic and a conventionally bred variety is chemically indistinguishable, there is no good scientific reason to label. However, some consumers would like labeling and choice for ideological reasons. |