What is biotechnology? WSSD Information days

We’ll talk about … Biotechnology as we know it Problems with food production How we address these and other problems Modern biotechnology Concerns Safety

Biotechnology as we know it Biotechnology is using living things to make useful products Living things are –microbes, –plants and –animals

Has anyone ever made bread? or vetkoek, or beer, or wine? These processes all need the help of a living organism … yeast

Has anyone ever made compost? Compost is decomposed plant and animal material We use composting to put food back into the soil for the next crop Microbes breakdown dead plants and animals back into compost What would the world look like without these microbes?

What about medicinal plants? Some plants and animals have special compounds that act as medicines. Africa has a strong culture of traditional medicine that uses many local plants

And, food production? Our different plant varieties and farm animals come from Selection and Breeding

What is gene transfer?

1 gene - 1 protein

Why are we trying new technology? What problems do we have with producing food? How do we try to address these problems? –Pesticides (chemicals) –Pesticides –…–… –…–… –Seasonal planting –Covers, shade –Fertilisers, compost –Pests –Diseases –Drought –Floods –Cold –Heat –Poor soils

We need new technology to produce all things sustainably Modern biotechnology allows us to take the best in nature and share it around to make useful, safe new products The aim is to improve quality of life in a more environmentally friendly way WSSD

Moving genes for medicines Insulin is used by diabetics It used to be extracted from pigs’ pancreases The human insulin gene was cloned into a bacterium The bacterium multiplies in vats and produces lots of human insulin The insulin is purified and sold

Moving genes for agriculture Bt cotton has a gene from a soil bacterium The gene produces a very small amount of protein that makes caterpillars ill This protein does not affect any other living organism Using Bt cotton farmers get better yields with much less pesticide Bt cotton is more environmentally friendly than conventional cotton

WSSD

GM crops approved for SA Insect tolerant cotton Insect tolerant maize Herbicide tolerant cotton Herbicide tolerant soya WSSD

Moving genes for food processing Rennin is extracted from sheep stomach linings (rennet) to help mature cheese The gene for the enzyme was moved from sheep into yeast (mid 1980’s) Now cheese makers buy the purified enzyme and add it to their cheese. “Vegetarian cheese’ = derived from GM.

Benefits of GM enzyme production Safer Cheaper Better quality Less waste Less energy More environ- mentally friendly WSSD

Medical uses insulin factor 8 human growth hormone, gene therapy, etc. Industrial uses - lipases - cellulases - proteases, etc. Food processing amylase glucosidases chymosin (cheese) isomerases oxidases lipases pectinase papain, etc. Microbial gene transfer products...

Biotechnology and the environment Biotech tools are used to: Identify species Keep records of biodiveristy Help conservation decision making WSSD

How do you feel about gene transfer? Gene transfer is a powerful technology that has many benefits, but also raises some concerns.

Concerns about gene transfer Fall into 4 categories Environmental Food and feed safety Economic Social

Environmental concerns Outcrossing –other farmers –local plants and animals Spreading –invasiveness –weediness Biodiversity –non-target organisms

Food and feed concerns Toxins Allergens Nutritional changes Antibiotic resistance Unexpected effects Segregation – can harvested crops be kept apart, when needed?

Economic concerns Globalization Multinational control of food production Trade wars Intellectual Property Rights Note these apply to most technologies, not just GM WSSD

Social concerns Dietary preferences Taste preferences Ethics Keeping seed Organic farming Labelling

So how do we deal with our concerns about gene transfer? Gene transfer is not the first technology to raise concerns. Consider –cars, aeroplanes, drugs, electricity, pesticides, etc. All have risks and benefits They are regulated to allow us access to the benefits.

Checking the safety of GMOs All GMOs have to be approved Approval process checks safety and socio- economic impact Safety audits are by independent experts Government reviews socio-economic impact, public input and safety data to make final decision

What is checked?

Status of GM foods in the world Over 3 billion people have eaten approved GM food for the last 6 years No safety incident to date Modifications approved in: tomato, soya, cotton, maize, canola, chicory, potatoes, flax, rice, pawpaw, squash, etc. There are no human or animal genes in any approved GM food crops

Conclusion Biotechnology products will impact on all areas of our lives: –food, fuel, materials, forestry, mining, medicine, computers All concerns are checked before approvals are given Safety is carefully regulated

Conclusions, cont. Biotechnology is one of many tools that will help –produce food sustainably, –address poverty and –conserve our planet To benefit from biotechnology, we need a well informed civil society.