Organic Farmer Aug/Sept 2019

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Continued from Page 31 a plant breeder who is one of the authors of the position paper, said in an email, “Organic breeders are very much against mutagenesis and any type of genetic engineering; conventional breeders claim that they need the newest tool to combat climate change and [a] growing population.” Other Applications One exception is the use of marker-assisted breeding. Classical plant breeders find the gene mapping to be a useful tool in the selection of varieties suitable for organic farming conditions. By having a greater understanding of plant genomes and using classical breeding, it would be possible to accelerate the development of varieties that are compatible with organic farming systems. The NOSB has recommended that marker-assisted selection not be considered an excluded method. These new techniques are applied to more than plant breeding. More applications are related to human health and pharmaceutical research. CRISPR and other related technologies could conceivably be useful to organic farmers as diagnostic tools for soil health. “We know more about the surface of the moon than we do about life in the soil inches beneath our feet,” said organic farmer Klaas Martens. “CRISPR and [other genomic tools] could give us insights to better manage these ecological systems.” The use of cisgenic techniques in the modification of animal traits has several ethical, as well as health and environmental concerns. However, animal cloning is not considered compatible with the current organic standards, at least by consensus of the NOSB and USDA’s Accredited Certifying Agents. Other applications may involve the use of gene editing to enable greater confinement and higher stocking densities in Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). One exception to excluded methods in the organic regulation is the use of animal vaccines. While the regulation allows for the use of genetically modified vaccines, the status of specific vaccines is unclear. Another new technology that has been introduced since the first proposed rule is the gene drive, which uses gene editing techniques to delete functional genes and manipulate a wild population to carry a uniform or single allele. The technique may be used to introduce insect pests or weeds that would produce sterile or otherwise non-viable offspring or seed, potentially displacing the native population in a few generations. The concern is that gene drive technology permanently and irreversibly alters ecological systems. Once released, a gene drive organism can no longer be controlled and has the potential to become a pest or weed that it is intended to displace. Organic farmers are concerned that the presence of gene drive organisms will can migrate to organic farms and undermine stable and resilient systems of ecological pest and weed management. Long Term Implications Several of the sources interviewed for this story raised questions about the longterm and broader ecological implications of the new biotechnology. Organic agriculture is a holistic system, and biotechnology techniques are based on reductionist methods. Single-gene resistance is used as one example. Breeding for vertical resistance—complete immunity based on a single gene—fails when the pathogen evolves to overcome that plant’s immunity. Multi-gene or horizontal resistance may not provide the absolute immunity of single gene resistance, but the resistant variety will be more resilient against subsequent mutations and the evolution of strains of the pathogen that overcomes the plant’s immune system. Another aspect that is not understood is what effects the new technology will have on the soil biome. Proponents of the technology acknowledge that risks are involved, but claim they are minimal and do not warrant any additional regulatory oversight. Others are skeptical and point to how the government has reassured the public for years that regulatory oversight has prevented risky applications of GMOs from being commercially released into the environment. Off-target effects may take years to discover. “We are already seeing unintended consequences from these new technologies” said Sligh. Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com 32 Organic Farmer August/September 2019
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Organic Farmer Aug/Sept 2019

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