permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [SANET-MG] Growing Nonfood Products in Transgenic Plants a mild 
proposal
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 09:25:50 -0400
From: jcummins <jcummins@UWO.CA>
Reply-To: Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group 
<SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

An interesting idea is given below. In thinking about the proposal I
would like to offer the idea that the Province of Alberta in Canada  and
the State of Washington should be designated places where food crops
cannot be planted ,only transgenic pharmaceutical and energy crops may
be grown. In both of these places GM non food crops  have tested so much
that  the  food crops grown in the areas are in question. However, the
lesson has been that the transportation corridors for movement of the GM
crops soon become polluted by the GM crops as has been shown in Japan
and in Canada. Thus transportation  corridors will have to be set aside
for the movement of the GM non-food crops. Of course, it would be much
easier to just not grow such crops.

Published in Crop Sci 47:1255-1262 (2007)
DOI: 10.2135/cropsci2006.09.0594

Methods for Growing Nonfood Products in Transgenic Plants
John A. Howarda,* and Elizabeth E. Hoodb

a Applied Biotechnology Institute, Bldg. 36, Cal Poly State Univ., San
Luis Obispo, CA 93407
b Arkansas State Univ., P.O. Box 2760, State Univ., AR 72467

The relatively high cost of producing select industrial and
pharmaceutical products in traditional hosts has led many groups to
investigate the benefits of plant-based production systems. Transgenic
plants can offer significant cost advantages for select products, but
the advantage can be eroded occasionally by the cost of confinement to
segregate them from commodity crops. The conceptual similarities and
differences between transgenic plant production systems and other
transgenic hosts are discussed in regard to regulations and public
perception. A system of regulated transgenic production is described
that is based on dedicating an area solely to industrial products. This
system would take advantage of surrounding crops that are also grown for
industrial applications to offset the cost of growing the regulated
transgenic plants. Examples are given that demonstrate the economic
advantages of the system while concurrently creating a clearer
distinction between food and nonfood products. This system may also
increase public confidence, as it is modeled on current systems used to
produce regulated transgenic products in nonplant hosts.