This year, the No. 1 document of the central government proposed to speed up the pace of industrialization of corn and soybean biological breeding, expand the scope of pilot projects in an orderly manner, and standardize planting management. Halfway through the time, how is this work progressing?
On August 24, in response to questions such as "why it is necessary to engage in genetically modified food" and "whether genetically modified food will cause cancer and cause infertility", the relevant person in charge of the Science and Technology Development Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center made an authoritative response.
GMO is a new track that must be seized
Why do we have to do GMO?
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said that at present, biological breeding represented by genetically modified organisms is a revolutionary technology in the field of breeding, and it is a new field and new track that must be seized.
Agricultural transgenic technology has played an irreplaceable role in increasing crop yields, reducing the loss of diseases, insects and weeds, reducing the use of chemical pesticides, and saving labor costs.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs pointed out that the mainland has not been absent from the research and development of genetically modified technology, and it has been deployed and continuously tracked in the 863 high-tech research launched in the 80s of the 20th century and the 973 basic research launched in the 90s of the 20th century. From the pilot point of view, the insect and herbicide tolerance traits of transgenic corn and soybean are outstanding, and the control effect on lepidopteran pests such as fall armyworm is more than 90%, and the weeding effect is more than 95%, and the yield of transgenic corn and soybean can be increased by 5.6%-11.6%.
While promoting the pilot, the relevant departments strictly supervise in accordance with the "Seed Law", "Food Safety Law", "Regulations on the Safety Management of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms" and other laws and regulations, crack down on illegal acts in seed production, seed sales, planting, processing, sales and other links in accordance with the law, implement the product identification management system, and ensure that the industrial application is standardized and orderly.
These are all rumors!
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs pointed out that safety is the basis and premise of the industrialization of genetically modified varieties, and genetically modified products must go through scientific, comprehensive and strict food safety evaluation and environmental safety evaluation before they are put on the market, and approved genetically modified products are safe.
As for the legendary genetically modified foods that can cause cancer, cause infertility, and affect offspring, they are all rumors.
Relevant departments and experts have clarified many times with a large number of data and facts from scientific experiments and production practices, but they still appear repeatedly on the Internet, misleading many people, and some of these rumors are hearsay, and some have ulterior motives.
There is no scientific basis to prove that genetically modified foods cause cancer
The link between genetically modified foods and cancer originated from a paper by the Frenchman Séralini in 2012.
The French authorities and the European Food Safety Authority have conducted a six-year study on this, costing more than 100 million yuan, and the results show that the genetically modified corn has not caused any negative effects, let alone found to be chronically toxic and carcinogenic.
Genetically modified foods have nothing to do with infertility
The rumors stem from a 2013 report that "years of consumption of genetically modified corn have led to a decline in sperm motility among male college students in Guangxi."
In fact, the statement of abnormal sperm of college students comes from the 2009 "Sexual Health Survey Report of College Students in Guangxi" of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, which proposes that unhealthy lifestyle habits such as environmental pollution, long-term Internet access, and staying up late may lead to abnormal sperm among college students, and there is no word for genetically modified at all.
Genetically modified foods do not affect future generations
Genetically modified foods do not accumulate in the human body, do not accumulate in the body with the increase of intake, have no material basis for long-term effects, do not carry out intergenerational transmission, and do not change our genes and affect future generations.
At present, a large number of multi-generational feeding trials of genetically modified products have been carried out at home and abroad with model animals such as mice, pigs, and broilers. The relevant medical research institutions in mainland China have also carried out long-term feeding experiments on monkeys, which are closest to human relatives, and have proved that there is no effect on offspring.
Developed countries also eat genetically modified foods
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs pointed out that Europeans and Americans do not eat genetically modified organisms, which is a rumor spread falsely.
The United States is a big country in the research and development of genetically modified technology, and is also the world's largest producer and consumer of genetically modified crops, the United States has approved the industrialization of 22 kinds of genetically modified crops, in recent years, about 1.1 billion acres of genetically modified crops are planted every year, accounting for more than 40% of its cultivated area, including corn, soybeans, cotton, sugar beet and other genetically modified varieties of planting area are more than 90%. About 50 percent of the soybeans and more than 80 percent of the corn produced in the United States are consumed domestically rather than exported.
The EU imports large quantities of genetically modified agricultural products every year, mainly soybeans, corn, rapeseed, sugar beets and their processed products. According to statistics, in 2021, the EU imported about 15 million tons of genetically modified soybeans, accounting for about 90% of total soybean imports, and imported more than 3 million tons of genetically modified corn, accounting for about 30% of total corn imports.
Japan, South Korea and Taiwan also import large quantities of genetically modified agricultural products such as soybeans, corn and rapeseed.
A GMO product that has been destroyed does not mean that it is unsafe
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs explained that you sometimes see on the Internet that some countries destroy or refuse to accept genetically modified products, because importing and exporting countries and regions have licensing systems for products entering the local market, and unapproved products may be destroyed or rejected, which is not limited to genetically modified products, let alone that genetically modified products produced in accordance with laws and regulations are unsafe.
The canteen of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs also uses genetically modified soybean oil
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said that consumers have the right to know whether they are consuming genetically modified products. The mainland implements a mandatory labeling system for genetically modified products, such as genetically modified soybean oil and rapeseed oil, which are required to be marked with the words "genetically modified soybean/rapeseed".
It should be noted here that the GMO label has nothing to do with safety, and the GM food that has been approved for market circulation is safe, and the labeling system is adopted to protect the consumer's right to know. The canteens of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs also purchase food from ordinary supermarkets and agricultural wholesale markets, and products such as genetically modified soybean oil have been purchased and used.
Reference source: "Heads of the Science and Technology Development Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center Answer Reporter's Questions on Promoting the Pilot of Biological Breeding Industrialization", Farmer's Daily, August 24, 2023
http://vv.moa.gov.cn/s/zawad/202308/t20230824_6434921.hatma
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