November 2018 Punch PDF

NEWS
Current concepts of genetically modified (GM) feed
and Poultry Industry
1Bhupamani Das, 2K. Merina Devi, 3A. N. Suthar and 3Ankit S. Prajapati
Department of 1Clinics and Department of 3Medicine ,
Dr. V. M. Jhala Clinical Complex, S.D.A.U., Deesa (Gujarat)-385535
2Department of Poultry science, C.V.Sc. & A.H., Guwahati-781022
Introduction
Plants have evolved over time in response to factors such as climate and insects. Scientific advancements have helped
to speed-up this process through the genetic modification of crops. This has helped to make food crops more tolerant of
less-than-ideal terrain and climates as well as give them the ability to naturally fight pests and insects. In essence, genetic
modification has enabled the agricultural industry the ability to do more with less, minimizing its impact on the environment.
For example, genetic modification has made it possible to increase crop yields (providing more crops using less land); use
fewer pesticides; and help utilize marginal land where crops would not have grown in the past.
Genetically modified (GM) plants, i.e. plants whose genetic material has been altered using recombinant DNA technology),
constitute a significant portion of the crops available on the feed market. In fact, all GM crops grown are transgenic plants,
and thus each contains in its genome a DNA construct (transgen) originating froma foreign organism. Since the first GM
plants appeared in 1996, the extent of world GM crop cultivation has increased by a factor of 94, reaching over 170 million
hectares worldwide in 2012.
The most common transgenic crops are soybean, maize, cotton and rapeseed (canola), and the most widespread
traitsintroduced to plants by transgenesis are agrotechnic, i.e. herbicide tolerance and insect resistance.
Majority (70–90%) of GM plants grown are used as feed material for poultry. Most soybean meal, animportant source
of protein is produced from GM herbicide-tolerant (HT) plants. About 35% of the global maize crop is GM, mainly insect
resistant Bt maize. Even though GM plants have been grown and used for years, still are many scientists who are not in
their favour.
Effect of GM foods on poultry
Advantages : Genetically modified crops require less fertilizer and fewer pesticides, while increasing crop yields. This
helps make feeding them to chickens more environmentally-friendly and results in a more sustainable food product.
Disadvantages : • Environment impacts: There are a number of negative environmental impacts associated with growing
GM crops. Many of the currently approved GM products for animal feed are for import into the EU only, but this simply means
that the environmental impact is felt outside of Europe instead. Yet these environmental impacts are not considered when
such crops are approved for import. Furthermore, accidental spillages of imported GM grains and seeds along transport
routes could also lead to direct negative environmental impacts in the EU. • Biodiversity: Herbicide and insect resistant
crops also have associated environmental problems. There are concerns about the impact of such crops, which produce
an insecticide throughout the plant, on non-target organisms, such as butterflies, moths and other invertebrates. • Cross
pollination: Cross pollination between GM and non-GM crops, wild crop plants or weed crop plants in following crops, as
well as wild relatives, causes gene escape. Contamination of non-GM crops causes economic losses for farmers, wild plants
may incorporate several GM traits creating so called ‘superweeds’ and traditional crop varieties can be contaminated.
Risk for consumer :There is no nutritional difference between chicken products in which chickens have been fed genetically
modified crops versus chickens that have not. Once feed is digested by the animal, there is no way to distinguish any
difference. Furthermore, there is no food safety—or any other risk—to the health and well-being of consumers when they
consume chicken or other animal agriculture products (e.g. eggs, dairy), which have been raised with genetically modified
feed ingredients, as demonstrated through more than 20 years of the widespread use of GMO grains in conventional
agriculture. Most importantly, this position is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and National Academy of
Sciences.
Regulation : The combined expertise of three federal agencies: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are all responsible when it comes to
approving and overseeing the use of genetically modified crops to ensure a safe food supply both for animals and human
beings.
Summary : If a chicken or any other animal eats GMO feed – that does not make the chicken or animal a GMO. Most
importantly, there is no food safety—or any other risk—to the health and well-being of consumers when they consume
chicken or other animal agriculture products (e.g. chicken, eggs, dairy), which have been raised with genetically modified
feed ingredients, as demonstrated through more than 20 years of the widespread use of GMO grains in conventional
agriculture. Most importantly, this position is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO).
And as the population continues to grow – it is projected to increase by more than 2 billion people 2050—the advancement
of food science has never been more important than it is today. The advent of GM technology has allowed the agriculture
industry to do more with less, which keeps food in the United States more affordable and more accessible.
48 November, 2018