Summary

The Soil Association welcomes publicly funded research to map the genetic sequence and structure of plants, offering an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the molecular biology of crops.

We support the use of this data in natural plant breeding programmes such as marker assisted breeding (MAB.) By 'natural plant breeding' the Soil Association refers to methods which do not by-pass the sexual breeding process.

Scientists have developed the means to read the genetic sequencing of plants. This genetic map can assist plant breeders to more reliably and rapidly identify desirable traits when selecting plants for sexual breeding programmes - a process which in the past has involved drawn out procedures.

Utilising this mapping information whilst maintaining the sexual breeding process enables the more efficient development of new plant and animal varieties but without the risks associated with genetic engineering (i.e. the artificial transfer of genetic material between or within species using recombinant DNA).

Marker Assisted breeding - Genomics

Marker assisted breeding (sometimes referred to as 'genomics') is a form of biotechnology which uses genetic fingerprinting techniques to assists plant breeders in matching molecular profile to the physical properties of the variety. This allows plant breeders to significantly accelerate the speed of natural plant breeding programmes, without exposure to the unpredictable health and environmental risks associated with genetic engineering techniques.

Maintaining local distinctiveness and genetic diversity. The Soil Association would welcome publicly owned research using MAB, provided the technology is not used to promote a narrowing of genetic diversity in plant varieties. (There is a risk that seed companies may use this technology to further reduce the genetic diversity of commercially available crop varieties thereby increasing the plant health risks associated with a narrow gene pool for the nation's agricultural crops and livestock.)

Organic systems traditionally stress the importance of local adaptation of varieties and breeds through natural selection. Any marker assisted breeding programme should therefore focus on the use of germplasm from locally distinct traditional seed lines from a particular area or region that are best suited for local weather patterns, soil type and other important agronomic factors when developing new varieties.

Maintaining genetic diversity within agriculture is of fundamental importance. It serves as a basic insurance against local crop disease outbreaks becoming regional or national outbreaks. The less diversity in the system the wider and faster new bacterial, viral or other pathogens can spread throughout the national agricultural plant or animal base.

In recent years, plant breeding has become such a specialised and centralised industry that this essential diversity has been eroded. This represents a considerable threat not only to the economy of the farming industry, but also to national food security, human health and the national economy. The Irish potato famine of 1846 is an extreme example of a past national crisis which followed low genetic diversity in cropping patterns.

Organic farming reverses this trend of genetic erosion by positively encouraging genetic diversity. The use of locally adapted plants which are more appropriate to local ecosystems are important in developing such systems of plant protection based on genetic diversity.

Patent Protection Abuse

The Soil Association believes that although marker assisted breeding can play a useful role in the development of new varieties, it must not become a means to patent specific genes and access to genetic information provided by the technique must be made available free of charge to all scientists requiring it for research purposes.

Experience with the human genome project has already shown that the biotechnology industry frequently seeks to patent the genes it discovers through mapping research, particularly where genetic sequences are believed to be linked to commercially exploitable traits. The Soil Association believes that this is immoral. It contravenes the most basic of traditional patenting principles , that patents on inventions made by humans are allowable, but not discoveries in nature.

If novel traits identified by genomic discovery are allowed to be patented this potentially sound technology will be abused, restricting access to scientific knowledge of naturally occurring biological phenomena by others for the benefit of the wider community.

Genetic Engineering - The dangers

Scientists have identified particular effects that some specific genes have on the characteristics of an organism (e.g. the identification of a gene in a plant which makes it resistant to a particular insect pest). Genetic engineering involves the artificial insertion of such individual genes from one organism into the genetic material of another (typically, but not exclusively, from other unrelated species). This methodology is the cause of much concern as numerous problems have been identified.

For example, geneticists have little or no control over where the inserted gene in placed in the plants' genomes (total genetic material). Thus, unpredictable side effects can occur through different genes interacting with each other in the new combination. At present, these interactions are not well understood by scientists or even understood at all in many cases.

A second problem is that the very process of genetic engineering increases the level of risk by by-passing the integrated bio-regulatory systems inherent and generally conserved in the natural sexual breeding process. In nature genes are regulated by neighbouring (and sometimes distant) DNA sequences which, for example, control when or where in the plant the gene should operate. These processes have so far only been identified and understood to a limited degree. As a result current agricultural genetic engineering techniques are unable to take these fundamentally important relationships into account when creating new organisms incorporating recombinant DNA.

Because of the random positioning of inserted foreign genes and this lack of knowledge of the natural regulatory functions within plant genomes,unpredicted side effects occur routinely with genetic engineering techniques. Many of these have been recorded even in already commercialised varieties. This can lead to health dangers such as allergenicity or the creation of new toxins, or poor agronomic performance. An example of an unpredictable physical side effect was reported in the New Scientist (20.11.99), whereby more lignin in GM soya than the non GM variety was found, causing stunted, weak stems which had a tendancy to split open and reduced yields. Given the depth of such knowledge deficits, the artificial introduction of novel genetic material out of context using recombinant DNA is thus fraught with difficulties.

By contrast, however, when Marker Assisted Breeding is used to assist traditional sexually-mediated breeding programmes, natural processes of gene regulation and placement are not by-passed. This avoids exposure to the novel health and environmental risks inherent in genetic engineering plant breeding methods .

Organic farming

It should be noted that the major issues facing the future sustainability of global food production are management rather than genetics related. The principles of organic farming revolves essentially around the constructive use of natural processes, animal and plant husbandry and good resource management, rather than merely the attributes of a specific variety. However, suitable breeding methods can enhance progress through organic methods.

Soil Association 40-56 Victoria Street, Bristol BS1 6BY E:
info@soilassociation.org
http://www.soilassociation.org

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