Humans have been using breeding for thousands of years to modify plants and animals, which means we are already eating modified organisms. A chicken in 1957 would be under a kilo, while chickens now are over 4 kilos.

Tomatoes, broccoli, wheat and corn are almost unrecognisable from their ancestor varieties. That has been achieved with breeding, but it is slow and imprecise compared to genetic engineering.

As human population rapidly heads towards 8 billion people, the challenge of feeding ourselves is becoming urgent. And we must do that in a way that minimises environmental impacts and is affordable for farmers and consumers.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are an essential technology to safely increase yields while reducing use of resources such as land, water, fertilisers and pesticides. A GMO can be made by modifying or editing an organism’s own DNA, or by introducing DNA from another organism such as a plant, animal or microbe.

GMOs have the same genes as the non-GMO equivalent, with one gene change or addition. This gives an extraordinary amount of control by allowing specific attributes to be introduced. For example, a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has been inserted into cotton to produce toxins that are harmful to insect pests such as bollworm, but harmless to other forms of life.

In Australia, 99 per cent of the cotton grown is GMO, and growers have reduced insecticide use by 89 per cent. This is good for farmers, consumers and the environment.

The potential applications of GMOs are endless. There are new GM canola varieties with omega-3 oil. GM rice with vitamin A (Golden Rice) was developed several years ago. The virus-resistant GM Rainbow papaya is known for saving the papaya industry in Hawaii.

In the field known as ‘pharming’, transgenic organisms are used to produce therapeutic products.
The drug Atryn is an anticoagulant that reduces the probability of blood clots during surgery. Atryn is extracted from GM goat’s milk. Since 1978 insulin has been produced using GM bacteria.

At GMOonly, we want to educate people about GMOs and dispel the myths that surround them.

Response: Dr Jose Barrero and Marina Trigueros, www.GMOonly.com

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