The use of GM technologies is controversial. Some organizations such as GeneWatch UK and EcoNexus fear that reliance on high-tech solutions like genetic modification detracts from more effective but poorly deployed measures to combat the harm caused by insects. These are the companies we need to hear more about because they are the ones that directly monitor the use of genetic technologies. Environmental NGOs like Greenpeace suggest that GM insects could have unintended and wide ranging impacts on the environment and human health due to the complexity of ecosystems and the high number of unknown factors which make risk assessment difficult. These companies have raised a number of concerns which include: New insects or diseases may fill ecological niche left by the insects suppressed or replaced, possibly resulting in new public health or agricultural problems The new genes engineered into the insects may jump into other species, a process called horizontal transfer, causing unintended consequences to the ecosystem Releases would be impossible to monitor and irreversible, as would any damage done to the environment A briefing done by these organizations also shows that Oxitec is trying to influence regulatory processes for GM insects, that they: Don’t want to be liable for any complications Try to avoid any regulation of GM agricultural pests on crops appearing in the food chain Excludes important issues from risk assessments, like the impact on human health Release of large amounts of GM insects prior to regulations Undermining the requirement to obtain informed consent for experiments involving insect species which transmit disease
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 18:11:08 +0000