23 June 2004
Dr. Henry: I welcome the Minister of State. I thank Senator Quinn for putting down this motion and for asking me to second it, which I do now. The definition of genetic modification produced by the US-based SCOPE research group is as follows:
The techniques of modern genetics have made possible the direct manipulation of the genetic makeup of organisms. In agriculture, genetic engineering allows simple genetic traits to be transferred to crop plants from wild relatives, other distantly related plants or virtually any other organism.
Recombinant DNA technology thus has brought a new precision to the process of crop development, which traditionally selects desired traits through crosses between crops and their wild relatives (a laborious and relatively imprecise method).
Genetic modification can be used in many ways to control a variety of traits of plants and the consequences of one manipulation may be completely different from another based on the traits modified.
Most of the debate in Ireland has focused on the modification of plants. I ate genetically modified food today: the Irish cheese I had for lunch contained vegetarian rennin made from a recombinant protein. I have heard no one on this island say we should go back to squeezing the rennin out of calves’ stomachs to use in the food industry. That would provoke a great deal of distress, particularly after the terrible problems caused by BSE. Most cheeses in Europe are made using what is described as “vegetarian rennet” which probably goes down better with people — excuse the terrible pun — than describing it as “genetically modified rennet”. We are all eating genetically modified products, even if we do not know it. As a pharmacist, the Minister of State knows that 50% of drugs taken in this country are genetically modified. For example, insulin, whose use is rising with the terrible increase in the number of diabetics here, and most vaccines, are made by genetic modification. This is already part of our life.
The Monsanto shareholders should tell Hugh Grant what to do after meeting and ignoring Senator Quinn who is such a successful retailer of food. I have never seen anything worse promoted than the genetic modification of soya, maize and wheat. These modifications were sold as being of benefit to Monsanto and perhaps to farmers because they could use less pesticide or herbicide and they need use only Monsanto’s Roundup. One did not have to be too bright to realise this was the best of news for Monsanto and not particularly good news for others. Reports of the amount of herbicide and pesticide required if genetically modified grain seeds are used do not show much improvement on the traditional crops. The only triumph is that one must use Monsanto’s Roundup. There was little increase in crop yield. The only success was a reduction in soil erosion because one had to harrow fewer weeds. Those who propose genetically modified crops as the solution to starvation in the Third World know little about what causes that starvation. It would not matter to the people of Darfur tomorrow what sort of grain they had to sow. They are being moved around the country so fast they would not have time to see it even start to germinate. This sort of argument for genetically modified food destroys the case and people should not use it. I have seen no evidence that plant protein is transformed in the body in any way that is deleterious to the human frame if genetically modified crops are used but people are entitled to refuse to eat them if they so wish.
That is why I welcome the paper which Mr. Byrne, the estimable Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, brought to the European Parliament on his proposal for the regulation of genetically modified food and feed. This is very important because it concerns not only human food but also animal feed. Past experience has shown us that animal feed, particularly with trace elements, especially iodine, can cause serious problems. Senators may have heard that in the United States there was a problem about the excess of iodine in animal feed. This went into the animal milk which was used in the manufacture of milk for babies who in turn received an excess dosage of iodine that was not good for them. Commissioner Byrne says quite rightly that there is no question of GM food being put on the market as safe or unsafe and labelled thus. If it is unsafe it will not be put on the market.
We urgently need labelling, particularly for people with allergies because even small traces of a brazil nut gene may cause problems for people with a nut allergy. While Commissioner Byrne allows for a 1% contamination level, we must be very sure this is present on labels if there is the possibility of a nut product being present in food because it can have a terrible effect on those with the allergy. Rennet has been a great success but Senator Quinn is right in saying we must consider genetic modification very slowly because there was a disaster in the early 1990s with bovine somatotrophin. As the Leas-Chathaoirleach, Senator Ulick Burke, may recall from his part of the country, there was a milk lake at the time. Bovine somatotrophin could make a cow that produced five gallons of milk produce eight gallons. I am not sure what we were to do with the remaining three gallons. It was not taken up here but was most enthusiastically adopted in North America. After some years the Canadians stopped using it because they found it caused mastitis problems in the cows which then had to be given antibiotics and their milk had to be withdrawn from sale, so it was not cost-effective. Animals kept on it for many years developed serious hind hoof problems because their udders were so heavy from this massive production. It is not used much anywhere now, even in the United States. The last time I heard of it was in Holstein herds which were kept indoors in North Dakota and were all slaughtered at four years, which seems a terrible thing to do to a nice cow. We must judge all these developments on a case-by-case basis because they will not all be successful.
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