Agriculture scientists use genetic modification to fix problems caused by genetic modification

Back at the ranch

Scientists are working night and day to perfect major U.S. crops.

But if you find that comforting, hold on a sec.

The scientists are toiling over genetic modification schemes that are designed to correct problems caused by genetic modification schemes they’ve already developed and put into the food chain.

That’s bad enough. But here’s the real rub: Their number one priority is to keep the corporate profits flowing. When it comes to potential human or animal health issues, I don’t see them having the time (or the inclination) to launch studies to identify health problems that might arise.

So it’s fingers crossed and full speed ahead!

Are you getting that sinking guinea pig feeling? Yeah, me too.

Creepy crawly

Last week I told you about genetically modified sweet corn developed by Monsanto, the international agri-business giant. From now on, when you see ears of sweet corn piled high in a grocery store produce bin, there’s a good chance that corn is a GM variety that’s been liberally doused with Roundup, the popular weed killer made by Monsanto.

Meanwhile, an agricultural nightmare is unfolding on U.S. farmlands that have grown Monsanto’s GM corn, cotton, and soybean crops.

Last year we first learned about Roundup-resistant superweeds that have begun springing up in fields where Monsanto’s Roundup-Ready GM crops have been grown.

The New York Times reports that these hardy superweeds now infest millions of acres in more than 20 states. Some can reach a height of five feet or more, with stalks so thick and dense they can actually damage harvesting equipment. No wonder some farmers are forced to abandon their fields in surrender to these monsters.

The president of the Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts told the Times, “It is the single largest threat to production agriculture that we have ever seen.”

Well…not so fast. We may now have another contender for largest agricultural threat: superbugs.

And I’m not talking about bacteria that have developed resistance to antibiotics. This time, the problem is actual bugs — the insect counterpart to superweeds.

In last week’s Monsanto article I told you how Roundup-Ready crops not only repel weeds, but they’re also genetically modified to include a gene of a bacterial pesticide known as Bt.

In theory there’s low risk of insects developing resistance to Bt if farmers rotate their crops and take other precautions. That’s the “perfect world” scenario.

But the world is far from perfect, and now an Iowa entomologist says he’s located four fields infested with corn rootworms that are resistant to a Bt gene developed by Monsanto. A similar finding has been reported in Illinois.

Long range, this is a potential disaster for U.S. farmers, arriving right on the heels of the superweed disaster. That’s why Monsanto scientists are racing to develop the next generation of GM crops that contain genetic code that will turn off essential genes in crop-eating insects.

And what effect will that have on human health? Your guess is as good as anyone’s. But here’s Dr. Spreen’s take on the situation: “Whistle-blowers in the GM industry all say the same thing: One genetic modification ALWAYS causes more than just the desired change (and that’s if you only modify one thing!).”

It seems creating FrankenFoods is much like creating monster films…it just keeps getting more and more dangerous — and the monster (or, in this case, the corn) will eventually turn on you.

Of course, in the movies, you can kill the monster.

Sources:
“Monsanto Corn Plant Losing Bug Resistance” Scott Kilman, Wall St. Journal, 8/29/11, online.wsj.com

“Attack of the Monsanto Superinsects” Tom Philpott, Mother Jones, 8/30/11, motherjones.com

“Farmers Cope with Roundup-Resistant Weeds” William Neuman and Andrew Pollack, New York Times, 5/3/10, nytimes.com