Can we improve on nature?
GMO stands for “genetically modified organism.” GMOs are sometimes referred to as genetically engineered (GE) organisms. Genetic engineering is a technology for altering the blueprint of an organism at the genetic level. By taking genes from one organism and implanting them into another, or by creating genetic material in a laboratory from scratch, biotechnology companies can alter characteristics of crops and other plants or animals.
GE crops in Canada
GE crops first came to public attention in Canada in 1995 with the introduction by Calgene (later bought by Monsanto) of the Flav’r Sav’r tomato. These tomatoes contained genes to slow down their ripening process. Despite problems in performance, consumer acceptance and marketing of this first product, GE crops have spread across Canada’s farmland and into Canadian supermarkets. In 2007, over 5.8 million hectares of GE crops were grown in Canada.
In Canada, only a handful of crops are commonly GE including canola, corn, soy, and in some areas, sugar beets. Most commercially available GE crops are engineered to either produce their own insecticides, or to be able to withstand applications of specific herbicides with which they are designed to be used in conjunction. Neither of these widely used genetic engineering technologies have been found to increase yields, and some crops like GE soy have been found to have somewhat lower yields than conventional crops. Many other crops and traits have been experimented with, ranging from drought tolerance in rice, to so-called ‘pharma-crops’: GE plants or animals that act as living factories to produce pharmaceuticals. Few of these have reached the stage of commercial development. Despite promises over the past 15 years of nutritionally enhanced GE crops, for example rice that has high levels of vitamin A, these experiments have not come to successful fruition.
Risks of GMOs
A number of controversies have arisen since the introduction of GE technologies. These include concerns about the safety of GE foods for human health, how GE crops may affect food security and corporate control in agriculture, and about the potential impacts of GE crops and production processes on the environment. In 1999, the Canadian government asked the Royal Society of Canada to examine these and other issues relating to genetic engineering and biotechnology. Their 2001 report, Elements of Precaution: an Expert Panel Report on the Future of Biotechnology, advocated a go-slow approach on GE technology and made at least 58 recommendations for better regulation.
These recommendations have for the most part not been implemented. In the meantime, a number of studies raising concern about certain lines of GE corn have been published in recent years. Animal feeding trials of GE corn, contained as ingredients in products on store shelves in Canada, have been found to have signs of toxicity. GMOs are found in approximately 70% of processed food products on store shelves in Canada. Polls have consistently shown a large majority if Canadians favour labelling GE products to facilitate knowledge and awareness of GE foods, as well as consumer choice. Currently, the labelling of GE foods in Canada is voluntary at the discretion of the manufacturer.
More information
To learn more about these claims and other GMO issues, and what you can do, check out the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, Greenpeace Canada, and Society for a GE Free BC. Other resources to check out:
Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment's: position on GMOs
Royal Society of Canada’s: Elements of Precaution: Recommendations for the Regulation of Food Biotechnology in Canada.
Seeds of Change: Farmers, Biotechnology and the New Face of Agriculture: A farmer’s perspective on GE technology by Manitoba filmmakers Ian Mauro, Stéphane McLachlan, and Jim Sanders.
