genetically modified canola
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{short description|Genetically modified crop}}
The first strain of a genetically modified version of canola, Roundup Ready canola, was developed by Monsanto for tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the commonly used herbicide Roundup.
Genetic modification
Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide, which is used to kill weeds and grasses which are known to compete with commercial crops grown around the world. The first product came onto the market in the 1970's under the name ‘Roundup’. Plants which are exposed to glyphosate are unable to produce aromatic amino acids and in turn die.{{cite web|url=http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/archive/glyphotech.html|title=Glyphosate|work=orst.edu}}
To produce the Roundup Ready canola, two genes were introduced into the canola genome. One is a gene derived from the common soil bacterium Agrobacterium strain CP4, that encodes for the EPSPS enzyme. The other is a gene from the Brucella anthropi strain LBAA, which encodes for the enzyme glyphosate oxidase (GOX). The CP4 EPSPS enzyme imparts high tolerance to glyphosate, so the plants can still create aromatic amino acids even after glyphosate is applied. GOX helps break down glyphosate within the plant.{{cite web|last=Monsanto|title=What is Roundup Ready canola?|url=http://www.monsanto.com/global/au/products/Documents/tech-topic-what-is-roundup-ready-canola.pdf|access-date=8 November 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126115536/http://www.monsantoglobal.com/global/au/products/Documents/tech-topic-what-is-roundup-ready-canola.pdf|archive-date=2020-11-26}}
Regulation
{{Main|Regulation of the release of genetic modified organisms}}
Genetically modified crops undergo a significant amount of regulation throughout the world.
For a GM crop to be approved for release in the US, it must be assessed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) agency within the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and may also be assessed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), depending on the intended use. The USDA evaluates the plant's potential to become a weed. The FDA regulates crops used as food or animal feed.{{cite web|url=https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodScienceResearch/Biotechnology/ucm346030.htm|title=Questions & Answers on Food from Genetically Engineered Plants|work=fda.gov}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/FDAVeterinarianNewsletter/ucm133247.htm|title=FDA page on Regulation of GM Plants in Animal Feed|website=Food and Drug Administration }} In Canada, the largest producer of GM canola,[http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/database/plants/63.rapeseed.html GMO Compass Rapeseed] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329223624/http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/database/plants/63.rapeseed.html |date=29 March 2017 }} 27 July 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2010. GM crops are regulated by Health Canada, under the Food and Drugs Act, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency{{Cite web|url=https://inspection.canada.ca/plant-varieties/plants-with-novel-traits/general-public/eng/1337380923340/1337384231869|title=Plants with novel traits: Information for the general public|first=Canadian Food Inspection Agency|last=Government of Canada|date=20 March 2015|website=inspection.canada.ca}} are responsible for evaluating the safety and nutritional value of genetically modified foods. Environmental assessments of biotechnology-derived plants are carried out by the CFIA's Plant Biosafety Office (PBO).{{Cite web |url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/genetically-modified-foods. |title=Genetically Modified Food. |access-date=15 February 2015 |archive-date=8 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108111927/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/genetically-modified-foods. |url-status=dead }} Glyphosate- and glufosinate-tolerant canola were the first two GM plants to gain approval in Canada.{{cite journal | last1=Biden | first1=Scott | last2=Smyth | first2=Stuart J. | last3=Hudson | first3=David | title=The economic and environmental cost of delayed GM crop adoption: The case of Australia's GM canola moratorium | journal=GM Crops & Food | publisher=Taylor & Francis | volume=9 | issue=1 | date=2018-01-02 | issn=2164-5698 | doi=10.1080/21645698.2018.1429876 | pages=13–20| pmid=29359993 | pmc=5927647 }} In Australia Roundup Ready Canola was approved for commercial production in 2003 by the Gene Technology Regulator after undergoing approximately 400 tests and studies to determine it was safe. Food Standards Australia New Zealand also approved this product as being safe for human consumption in the same year.{{cite web|title=Fact Sheet - GMOs approved for commercial release in Australia: GM Canola |url=http://ogtr.gov.au/internet/ogtr/publishing.nsf/Content/factcanolaApr10-htm |publisher=Australian Government |access-date=8 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322030053/http://ogtr.gov.au/internet/ogtr/publishing.nsf/Content/factcanolaApr10-htm |archive-date=22 March 2014 |df=dmy }}
Controversy
{{Main|Genetically modified food controversies}}
Controversy exists over the use of food and other goods derived from genetically modified crops instead of from conventional crops, and other uses of genetic engineering in food production. The dispute involves consumers, biotechnology companies, governmental regulators, nongovernmental organizations, and scientists. The key areas of controversy related to GMO foods are whether they should be labeled, the role of government regulators, the objectivity of scientific research and publication, the effect of GM crops on health and the environment, the effect on pesticide resistance, the impact of GM crops for farmers, and the role of GM crops in feeding the world population.
There is a scientific consensus that currently available food derived from GM crops poses no greater risk to human health than conventional food, but that each GM food needs to be tested on a case-by-case basis before introduction. Nonetheless, members of the public are much less likely than scientists to perceive GM foods as safe. The legal and regulatory status of GM foods varies by country, with some nations banning or restricting them, and others permitting them with widely differing degrees of regulation.
Advocacy groups such as Greenpeace, the Non-GMO Project, and Organic Consumers Association say that risks of GM food have not been adequately identified and managed, and have questioned the objectivity of regulatory authorities. They have expressed concerns about the objectivity of regulators and rigor of the regulatory process, about contamination of the non-GM food supply,Paull, John (2019) [https://www.academia.edu/40200835/Contamination_of_Farms_by_Genetically_Modified_Organisms_GMOs_Options_for_Compensation Contamination of Farms by Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): Options for Compensation],
Journal of Organics, 6(1):31-46. about effects of GMOs on the environment and nature, and about the consolidation of control of the food supply in companies that make and sell GMOs.{{cite news|title=Monsanto ready to defend roundup ready canola|newspaper=The Star Phoenix|date=26 October 2004|id={{ProQuest|348860116}}}}
Resistances problems
{{See also|Glyphosate#Resistance}}
Due to the heavy reliance of glyphosate in agriculture, resistance to this chemical is a problem and is prevalent throughout Australia, the USA, and Canada.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/17/opinion/17mon3.html?ref=opinion | work=The New York Times | title=Resisting Roundup | date=16 May 2010}}{{cite journal|last=Preston|first=Chris|title=Roundup Ready Canola and Glyphosate Resistance|journal=Australian Grain|date=January 2010|volume=19|pages=6–7 |url=http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy1.library.usyd.edu.au/fullText;dn=322612245978495;res=IELHSS|access-date=8 November 2013}}
Roundup canola has also emerged as a weed in other crops due to its glyphosate resistance. This is due to canola seed being able to be dormant in the soil for up to 10 years. In California, it has become a significant problem in this way because of the restrictions on phenoxy herbicides being used in the state due to crops such as the sensitivity of cotton and grapes to this chemical.{{cite journal|first1=Douglas | last1=Munier |first2=Kent | last2=Brittan |author3=UC Farm Advisors |title=Roundup ready canola as a resistant weed|journal=Western Farm Press|date=December 2010|url=http://westernfarmpress.com/management/roundup-ready-canola-resistant-weed|access-date=8 November 2013}}
References
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{{Cite web|url=https://www.isaaa.org/kc/Publications/htm/articles/Position/ama.htm|title=AMA Report on Genetically Modified Crops and Foods (online summary)|publisher=American Medical Association|date=January 2001|access-date=August 30, 2019|quote=}} – "A report issued by the scientific council of the American Medical Association (AMA) says that no long-term health effects have been detected from the use of transgenic crops and genetically modified foods, and that these foods are substantially equivalent to their conventional counterparts. (from online summary prepared by ISAAA)" "Crops and foods produced using recombinant DNA techniques have been available for fewer than 10 years and no long-term effects have been detected to date. These foods are substantially equivalent to their conventional counterparts. (from original report by AMA: [https://web.archive.org/web/20010610122221/http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/article/2036-4030.html])"{{Cite web|url=http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/csaph/a12-csaph2-bioengineeredfoods.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907023039/http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/csaph/a12-csaph2-bioengineeredfoods.pdf|url-status=dead|title=REPORT 2 OF THE COUNCIL ON SCIENCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH (A-12): Labeling of Bioengineered Foods|publisher=American Medical Association|date=2012|access-date=August 30, 2019|archive-date=7 September 2012|quote=Bioengineered foods have been consumed for close to 20 years, and during that time, no overt consequences on human health have been reported and/or substantiated in the peer-reviewed literature.}}
Some medical organizations, including the British Medical Association, advocate further caution based upon the precautionary principle:
{{Cite web|url=http://www.argenbio.org/adc/uploads/pdf/bma.pdf|title=Genetically modified foods and health: a second interim statement|publisher=British Medical Association|date=March 2004|access-date=August 30, 2019|quote=In our view, the potential for GM foods to cause harmful health effects is very small and many of the concerns expressed apply with equal vigour to conventionally derived foods. However, safety concerns cannot, as yet, be dismissed completely on the basis of information currently available.
When seeking to optimise the balance between benefits and risks, it is prudent to err on the side of caution and, above all, learn from accumulating knowledge and experience. Any new technology such as genetic modification must be examined for possible benefits and risks to human health and the environment. As with all novel foods, safety assessments in relation to GM foods must be made on a case-by-case basis.
Members of the GM jury project were briefed on various aspects of genetic modification by a diverse group of acknowledged experts in the relevant subjects. The GM jury reached the conclusion that the sale of GM foods currently available should be halted and the moratorium on commercial growth of GM crops should be continued. These conclusions were based on the precautionary principle and lack of evidence of any benefit. The Jury expressed concern over the impact of GM crops on farming, the environment, food safety and other potential health effects.
The Royal Society review (2002) concluded that the risks to human health associated with the use of specific viral DNA sequences in GM plants are negligible, and while calling for caution in the introduction of potential allergens into food crops, stressed the absence of evidence that commercially available GM foods cause clinical allergic manifestations. The BMA shares the view that there is no robust evidence to prove that GM foods are unsafe but we endorse the call for further research and surveillance to provide convincing evidence of safety and benefit.}}
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{{Genetic engineering}}