Gm Science Review

Does GM work? Is GM technology too imprecise? Are GM genes more unstable than resident genes? Is it necessary to produce many transgenic plants to obtain an acceptable one? Could GM derived food be more toxic, more carcinogenic, or nutritionally less adequate when compared to other foods? And what is the potential for GM technology to produce foods with enhanced nutritional content or reduced toxicity compared with their non-GM counterparts? 5.3 Food allergies from GM crops Is the risk of suffering food allergies greater in GM food? 59 59 61 79 2 page 5.4 The fate of transgenic DNA Could transgenes (or parts of their DNA sequences) in food survive digestion and behave differently in comparison to traditional foodstuffs in their ability to relocate, recombine or modify the consumer's genome or that of associated gut microflora? If so, would this pose an increased risk to health compared to the consumption of non-GM derived food? 5.5 The effect of GM derived feed in the food chain Could the consumption of GM derived feed and crops by farm animals prove more of a health hazard to consumers of the resulting food products, or to the animals, than the use of non-GM material? 90 100 Chapter 6: Environmental impacts of GM crops 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Invasiveness/persistence of GM plants Could GM plants be invasive or persistent, and what might be the impacts? 6.3 Toxicity to wildlife Could GM plants be toxic to wildlife, and what might be the impacts? 6.4 Development of resistance Could crops engineered with novel resistance genes lead to the emergence of new forms of pests, diseases and weeds that are resistant to chemical sprays? Will new forms of insects and diseases evolve which are able to bypass GM resistance genes? 6.5 New weed control strategies offered by GM herbicide tolerant crops Will herbicide tolerant crops offer new weed control strategies and, if so, what are the likely impacts, positive and negative? 6.6 Horizon scanning Apart from herbicide tolerant crops, what are the major new traits that might give rise to significant environmental impacts, positive or negative? 6.7 Changes in agricultural practice Might GM crops change agricultural practice in the UK? If so, what might be the likely consequences? 6.8 Limitations of science Is the science available to predict the environmental impact of GM plants?