MFG: “Zero tolerance when it comes to genetic engineering”

MFG-Aigner: “How long will the ban on genetic engineering last in Austria?”

IIn Austria, the cultivation of genetically modified plants is prohibited – “But for how long?” asks LAbg. Joachim Aigner, MFG Austria federal party chairman, in view of the threatening international developments. In China and Argentina, genetically modified wheat can now be grown. In any case, the impacts are getting closer and closer, although the dangers for people, animals and nature are unforeseeable. Organic farming in particular faces great dangers because the boundaries to genetic engineering are becoming increasingly blurred. Particularly at the EU level, the desire for more genetic engineering is increasing. The MFG position is clear: “We stand for zero tolerance when it comes to genetic engineering,” says Joachim Aigner.

As beneficial as genetically modified seeds and the resulting higher crop yields may seem at first glance: on the one hand, genetic engineering reduces species diversity, and these artificially optimized plants can also cross with others and pass on the modified genetic material to them. “Genetically modified plants are high-performance machines. “Boosted” with fertilizers, they exploit all the water and nutrients the soil has to offer and deliver quite high yields for a while. “But there is no scope for a natural ecosystem,” reports GLOBAL 2000 about the dangers of genetic engineering.

Since 2015, EU member states have been able to ban the cultivation of genetically modified plants in their own country. Austria is making use of this opportunity. The applying manufacturers then (voluntarily) do not apply for approval for the country in question. The use of genetically modified organisms is in principle possible in the EU and therefore in Austria. Currently, 98 different genetically modified plants are approved in the EU, and their import into the EU and their use as food and feed are also permitted.

Genetic engineering on the rise

Genetically modified seeds are particularly on the rise in China. An edited wheat genome was recently approved there, changing the wheat genome so that it is more resistant to plant diseases. The approval process was rushed through unusually quickly – in just under two years. In the EU, however, it takes an average of 4.9 years from submitting the application to legally valid approval.

The global figures are worrying: in the USA, 90-95 percent of all soy, corn, rapeseed and sugar beet grown are genetically modified. Recently, fruits and vegetables have also been genetically modified for the North American market – such as apples, potatoes, pumpkin and papaya. Genetically modified fruit, vegetables, feed or parts thereof are already being imported into the EU and Austria. The existing labeling requirement does not help because, on the one hand, the corresponding labeling is not even noticed by many consumers, and on the other hand, many products are already exempt from the labeling requirement – for example those that come from animals that have been fed genetically modified feed, but also foods that contain small traces of genetic engineering up to a maximum of 0.9 percent.

Insidious side effects

Genetic manipulation causes a plant to produce a poison that destroys insects that are harmful to the plant. The problem is that useful animals and soil organisms are also damaged or killed. Neighboring fields are also affected because the pollen is transported there by bees. As a result of genetic engineering, the use of pesticides is not decreasing, as is always claimed, but rather it is increasing, as weeds become resistant after a few years and therefore require other, more intensive use of pesticides: “This is a disastrous spiral that keeps turning.” , LABg. Manuel Krautgartner, MFG-OÖ club chairman, also fears.

The intensive use of herbicides such as glyphosate is also known to cause extensive damage to humans – tumors as well as miscarriages and premature births and deformities in newborns are just some of the consequences. But that is not the only danger: “Nobody knows exactly what happens in the plant after its genes are changed. For example, new toxins or proteins could be formed that trigger allergies when the plant is consumed,” says the environmental organization GREENPEACE on its website: “The effects of new genetic engineering methods on people and nature are difficult to estimate, as are possible risks and consequences “Not,” says GREENPEACE genetic engineering expert Dirk Zimmermann.

Danger from seed patents

Another problem: there are patents and licenses on genetically modified seeds; farmers have to buy patented seeds at high prices every year because these seeds only provide yields for a certain period of time. However, there are earnings of a completely different kind in the accounts of the large manufacturers: genetically modified seeds are a billion-dollar business. Plants genetically modified in the laboratory can be patented, and over the years a monopoly on seeds is created. “And monopoly always means driving up prices, small and medium-sized farms will sooner or later fall by the wayside with unaffordable license fees – this is a consciously desired additional effect for agriculture, which is becoming increasingly industrial,” says Joachim Aigner. “There is a risk that the economic interests of corporations will lead to the strict bans on genetic engineering being relaxed in Austria too,” explains Aigner. He argues that the tempting profits made through the sale and licensing of genetically modified seeds could generate a powerful lobby that subsequently influences policymakers. For MFG it is clear: “There must be no further weakening of the ban on genetic engineering; we are firmly committed to a zero-tolerance policy.”Aigner concluded.

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