At present, most of the feeds used in China contain genetically modified ingredients. Whether or not genetically modified (GM) crops produced by genetically modified (GM) crops or byproducts of their processing will have adverse effects on animals and even humans, scientists are still unable to give clear answers.
The supporters believe that the use of genetically modified crops in feed is based on the contradiction between the demand for high-protein foods in China and food supply. The opposing party believes that the development of ecological agriculture and the improvement of enthusiasm among farmers are the fundamental methods for solving China's food problems and the ultimate means to solve the problem of genetically modified feed safety.
â– This reporter Intern Qiu Rui
With the increase of people's concern for food safety, the safety of “genetically modified foods†has become a hot topic that has been widely debated by the scientific community and even the public in recent years. However, on March 2 this year, the Ministry of Agriculture announced for the first time on the official website the “Improvement of the Approval of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms Used as Raw Materials for Processing†(hereinafter referred to as the “approval situationâ€), again pushing the “transgenic safety†dispute. To the cusp of the storm.
It is understood that the Ministry of Agriculture has announced various types of genetically modified agricultural products imported by China since 2004. The types of crops involved include soybeans, corn, cotton, and rapeseed. Among them, a total of 79 batches of products have so far been given safety certificates and 37 batches of products have been certificated within the validity period. At the same time, the “approval status†shows that the uses of genetically modified crops currently imported by China are all “process raw materialsâ€.
According to industry experts, "processing raw materials" means that these imported GM crops will be used in the fields of oil processing, animal feed, and food manufacturing, among which the largest proportion is used as animal feed.
Then, does the use of transgenic feeds made from genetically modified crops or their processing by-products adversely affect the animals they feed and ultimately the consumers—humans?
The reporter got two very different answers in the interview.
Risk to be observed for a long time
"At present, most of the compound feeds used in livestock and poultry in China contain genetically modified components," said Yan Shiyan, deputy director of the National Feed Engineering Technology Research Center and a professor at China Agricultural University.
He explained that like human food, protein is also an essential nutrient for livestock and poultry. The by-products of soy after leaching or pressing, namely the soybean meal and bean cake in the industry, are the main source of protein for livestock and poultry feed. Soybean meal or soybean cake is used for almost all pigs' compound feeds.
However, at present, China's domestic soybeans are non-genetically modified soybeans, while domestic soybeans only account for about a quarter of total soybean consumption in China. The rest are imported from the United States, Argentina, and other countries. The US soybeans are genetically modified soybeans.
According to data released by the General Administration of Customs in recent days, in 2011, China imported a total of 52.64 million tons of soybeans, up from 54.8 million tons in 2010. The research report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last December predicted that China's soybean imports will reach 56.5 million tons in the 2011/2012 marketing year.
"As long as soybeans are imported from abroad, they are all genetically modified soybeans. Therefore, we will inevitably incorporate genetically modified ingredients in the feed production process," said Yan Shiyan, a journalist with the China Science Journal.
Many experts interviewed by reporters regarding the safety of feeds containing genetically modified ingredients all stated that at present, there is not enough evidence in short-term experiments to prove that GM feeds have obvious side effects. This requires long-term and comprehensive observation and experimentation.
"We conducted a short-term study that showed that there was no side effect from GM feeds. As for whether there is a long-term risk, I cannot conclude yet." Deputy Director of the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Director of Animal Nutrition Branch of China Association of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Tan Zhiliang, The journal of the China Science Journal said.
As early as 2006, Liu Mei, an associate researcher at the Institute of Oceanography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, organized a project entitled “Study on Monitoring and Safety Evaluation of Genetically Modified Crops†under the support of the National High-Tech Research and Development Program and the Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Development Plan. In this project, Liu Mei's team used imported genetically modified and domestically produced non-genetically modified soybean meal to make feed and fed G. tilapia, and then weighed the body after feeding for 4 weeks and 7 weeks respectively. Biochemical indicators to evaluate the effect of transgenic soybean meal on the growth and physiology of tilapia.
Liu Mei told the journal of the “China Science Journal†that through research, it was found that eating tilapia containing genetically modified soy feed had abnormalities in some biochemical indicators, such as the number of white blood cells, platelet volume and distribution, and at the same time, in tilapia In the organization, some gene fragments that did not originally belong to tilapia were also found. The results indicate that the transgenic soybeans had some influence on some physiological processes of tilapia, but they did not have a visible effect on their growth. Whether or not the abnormalities indicate that they have caused substantial harm to tilapia remains to be further studied.
At the same time, Liu Mei emphasized that because this conclusion is only a preliminary result, the experiment needs to be further improved, and it cannot be concluded that GM feed is harmful.
Yan Shiyan introduced that his research center had conducted two tests on the safety of pigs fed with genetically modified soybean meal resistant to herbicide glyphosate. One of the trials was to feed about 7 to 8 kg of weaned piglets with a feed containing genetically modified glyphosate-tolerant soybean meal until the weight of the pigs increased to about 20 kg. Observe and record the physiological and biochemical indices of the pigs during this time period. Change; the other is a digestive test of 20 kg to 50 kg of pigs to determine if it has an effect on the digestive function of the pig.
"From the results of our experiments, we did not find that GM soybeans had adverse effects on pigs," said Yan Shiyan.
However, Yan Shiyan also admitted that the current test is not yet complete, but also needs long-term experimental research. For example, the effect of genetically modified soymeal on offspring after long-term sow feeding, "However, these studies are difficult and costly."
Zhang Junmin, a researcher at the Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, believes that the safety of genetically modified crops and feeds that meet the relevant requirements and research procedures can be guaranteed.
He explained to reporters from the China Science Journal that when researchers decided to transfer a gene to another species, they would conduct a rigorous and careful assessment of the role and safety of the gene and entrust professional agencies with the relevant GM regulations. Various risk assessments, this process is often up to seven or eight years. "So, as long as it strictly follows the procedures, the safety of genetically modified products as feed is controllable and trustworthy," he said.
Different sounds
However, Jiang Gaoming, a researcher at the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, firmly opposes the views of the above-mentioned experts. He believes that genetically modified feeds are quite risky and there have been a large number of experiments showing that genetically modified feeds have adverse effects on animals, and that these adverse effects are very likely to eventually be transmitted to humans through the food chain.
He first explained theoretically to a journalist of the “China Science Journal†that traditional biology believes that gene exchange in the natural world occurs in the vertical direction, that is, “seeds and melons, beans and beansâ€, and cross-species and cross-breeding. The genetic exchange between the worlds, namely "transgenic transgene", has a very low probability of occurring in nature.
Based on this, in the 1970s and 1980s, researchers generally believed that the transgenes that enter the digestive tracts of humans and other mammals through "transverse transgenesis" do not exist. This understanding played a fundamental role in the initial assessment of the "safety" of genetically modified foods.
Nowadays, science and technology have developed more sophisticated detection techniques and found that some of the DNA has not been destroyed by the digestive system. British scholars have discovered DNA fragments that have been transferred to the excrement of volunteers who consume genetically modified foods.
Normal genes can be divided into introns and exons. Among them, exons are responsible for coding proteins, and the current in-depth role of introns is still under study, but it can be confirmed that it does not participate in the compilation of proteins.
Normal plant genes contain introns, and therefore their gene length is long. After the animal eats the plant, it is not easily transferred to the animal's intestinal bacteria. Even if it accidentally enters the gut bacteria, the bacteria does not have the function to remove its intron, so this accidentally entered gene will not be expressed.
Transgenic crops do not have introns in the coding region of inserted genes, which makes it easier for the transferred genes to be expressed in bacteria.
"This means that genes that are artificially transferred to plants can be transfected into the animal's gut bacteria, or they can be expressed. If the gene is producing a toxic protein, then once it is Transplanted bacteria expressed in the intestine, the animal's enteric bacteria did not become a 'workshop' for the production of toxic proteins?"
"The animals are poisonous. Can you say that they will not affect the people who eat animals?"
Jiang Gaoming said that the above-mentioned hazards are just a manifestation of the hazards of genetically modified feeds. Further impacts on other aspects and deeper levels are still being studied.
He also revealed to reporters that a research group of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has also conducted experiments on the safety of genetically modified feeds, and the preliminary experimental results are also quite different from those of the aforementioned experts. According to reports, the research group selected 42 experimental birds of equal weight, and three groups (supplying suspected genetically modified corn, normal corn, and organic corn) were free-ranged in open-air chicken farms under the same environmental conditions. Each group had 14 animals, including 13 hens and 1 rooster.
The experiment lasted 263 days and found that 121 chickens were fed with suspected genetically modified corn, 349 chickens were fed regular corn, and 449 were fed with organic corn. The egg production of each chicken fed the suspected genetically modified corn was 34% and 27% of those fed regular corn and organic corn respectively. The number of eggs produced showed a significant downward trend and was only about one-third that of conventional corn or organic corn. . "Experimental results show that genetically modified feeds have an adverse effect on the animal's reproductive system."
The members of the research group explained to reporters that the reason why they chose “probably genetically modified corn†was because they could not obtain the required products from GM crop companies through public channels. "As soon as we heard that we were doing experiments on the safety of genetically modified organisms, many companies refused to sell them samples. We had to buy them in the areas where animal abnormalities occurred. As a result, if the experimental results finally prove that the GM crop is not suitable Feed, these companies will certainly not recognize these products are produced by them." The members of the research group said.
The food issue is fundamental
So, how should we look at and face the current controversy over the safety of genetically modified feed?
Some experts believe that the use of genetically modified crops in feed can be said to be to a certain extent a helpless move. This is because our country faces the contradiction between the growing demand for high-protein foods such as meat and eggs and the tight food supply situation.
According to Yan Shiyan, in the past, farmer raising pigs was basically a free-range house for each household. One family had a pig to be slaughtered for one year. In addition to food, there were many other plants and foodstuff residues.
However, with the shift of rural labor force, the current farming methods are becoming less and less and replaced by large-scale farming. This farming method emphasizes economic efficiency and requires high growth rate of pigs, so it depends largely on compound feed.
Yan Shiyan once calculated that if all of our pigs use compound feed, about 40% of the total food production will be consumed each year.
"With such a large demand, it is very difficult to eliminate the use of processing by-products from genetically modified crops in feeds without revolutionary breakthroughs," said Yan Shiyan.
It can be seen that the contradiction between food supply and demand is the key issue that leads to the dispute over the safety of genetically modified feed.
To this end, some experts suggest that the state should increase its support for research on genetically modified crops and feed safety.
However, according to Jiang Gaoming, this method of solving the food problem in China through the development of genetically modified technology and the import of genetically modified crops will not only solve the problem, but it will also be a way to “drink and quench thirstâ€.
He explained that, on the one hand, in addition to the potential impact on food safety, GM crops will also have adverse effects on the ecological environment. He cited the example of Dafeng City, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, which planted transgenic insect-resistant cotton from 2001. In recent years, its advantages have been declining year by year. Not only the quality of genetically modified cotton is getting worse, but after the control of the cotton bollworm, blind sucking, whiteflies and other sucking secondary pests have concentrated on large outbreaks.
On the other hand, large-scale promotion of genetically modified crops, especially those controlled by transnational companies, will have a major impact on China’s sovereignty over grain production and food security. Taking GM soybeans as an example, there is now a trend of dumping GM soybeans at low prices in China. The purpose is to force our farmers to stop growing native soybeans. “Once China really does not grow soybeans, the price of soybeans from these companies will certainly not be as low as it is now. It will certainly be 'sitting on the ground' and our food sovereignty will fall into their hands.â€
Jiang Gaoming believes that the development of ecological agriculture and the improvement of enthusiasm of farmers are the fundamental methods to solve China's food problems, and are the ultimate means to solve the problem of genetically modified feed safety. "Recently, the European Union and the United States have cooperated to carry out a project worth 50 billion U.S. dollars to develop the trade of natural organic foods. It can be seen that the return to ecological agriculture and organic agriculture is the real trend."
To this end, since 2007, Jiang Gaoming led the research team to lease 40 acres of arable land in Shandong to carry out demonstration experiments on ecological agriculture experiments. In the course of the study, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, agricultural films, additives were completely stopped, and transgenic technologies were not used to verify the role of ecology in maintaining agricultural production and improving economic efficiency.
According to Jiang Gaoming, by 2010, due to strict farmland ecological protection measures, supplemented by advanced ecological technologies, the area has changed from low-yielding fields to high-yielding fields, and biodiversity has greatly increased; the crops in the fields are not only very Less pests, and production has exceeded conventional production.
"The crops grown in ecological fields will not produce so much safety controversy whether they are used as food or feed," he said.
70%
At present, China's 150 million tons of feed requires approximately 37.5 million tons of protein raw materials, of which 70% depends on imports and imports 35 million tons of soybeans each year.
56%
From 1996 to 2009, global genetically modified crops brought about US$65 billion in economic benefits, 44% of which was a reduction in production costs, and 56% was a gain in output.
6
In 2011, six European countries approved the planting of transgenic insect-resistant maize, and more than 20 varieties of genetically modified corn were allowed to be imported for processing feed.
160 million
In 2011, 16.7 million farmers planted 160 million hectares of genetically modified crops in 29 countries in the world, an increase of 8% over 2010.
The supporters believe that the use of genetically modified crops in feed is based on the contradiction between the demand for high-protein foods in China and food supply. The opposing party believes that the development of ecological agriculture and the improvement of enthusiasm among farmers are the fundamental methods for solving China's food problems and the ultimate means to solve the problem of genetically modified feed safety.
â– This reporter Intern Qiu Rui
With the increase of people's concern for food safety, the safety of “genetically modified foods†has become a hot topic that has been widely debated by the scientific community and even the public in recent years. However, on March 2 this year, the Ministry of Agriculture announced for the first time on the official website the “Improvement of the Approval of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms Used as Raw Materials for Processing†(hereinafter referred to as the “approval situationâ€), again pushing the “transgenic safety†dispute. To the cusp of the storm.
It is understood that the Ministry of Agriculture has announced various types of genetically modified agricultural products imported by China since 2004. The types of crops involved include soybeans, corn, cotton, and rapeseed. Among them, a total of 79 batches of products have so far been given safety certificates and 37 batches of products have been certificated within the validity period. At the same time, the “approval status†shows that the uses of genetically modified crops currently imported by China are all “process raw materialsâ€.
According to industry experts, "processing raw materials" means that these imported GM crops will be used in the fields of oil processing, animal feed, and food manufacturing, among which the largest proportion is used as animal feed.
Then, does the use of transgenic feeds made from genetically modified crops or their processing by-products adversely affect the animals they feed and ultimately the consumers—humans?
The reporter got two very different answers in the interview.
Risk to be observed for a long time
"At present, most of the compound feeds used in livestock and poultry in China contain genetically modified components," said Yan Shiyan, deputy director of the National Feed Engineering Technology Research Center and a professor at China Agricultural University.
He explained that like human food, protein is also an essential nutrient for livestock and poultry. The by-products of soy after leaching or pressing, namely the soybean meal and bean cake in the industry, are the main source of protein for livestock and poultry feed. Soybean meal or soybean cake is used for almost all pigs' compound feeds.
However, at present, China's domestic soybeans are non-genetically modified soybeans, while domestic soybeans only account for about a quarter of total soybean consumption in China. The rest are imported from the United States, Argentina, and other countries. The US soybeans are genetically modified soybeans.
According to data released by the General Administration of Customs in recent days, in 2011, China imported a total of 52.64 million tons of soybeans, up from 54.8 million tons in 2010. The research report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last December predicted that China's soybean imports will reach 56.5 million tons in the 2011/2012 marketing year.
"As long as soybeans are imported from abroad, they are all genetically modified soybeans. Therefore, we will inevitably incorporate genetically modified ingredients in the feed production process," said Yan Shiyan, a journalist with the China Science Journal.
Many experts interviewed by reporters regarding the safety of feeds containing genetically modified ingredients all stated that at present, there is not enough evidence in short-term experiments to prove that GM feeds have obvious side effects. This requires long-term and comprehensive observation and experimentation.
"We conducted a short-term study that showed that there was no side effect from GM feeds. As for whether there is a long-term risk, I cannot conclude yet." Deputy Director of the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Director of Animal Nutrition Branch of China Association of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Tan Zhiliang, The journal of the China Science Journal said.
As early as 2006, Liu Mei, an associate researcher at the Institute of Oceanography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, organized a project entitled “Study on Monitoring and Safety Evaluation of Genetically Modified Crops†under the support of the National High-Tech Research and Development Program and the Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Development Plan. In this project, Liu Mei's team used imported genetically modified and domestically produced non-genetically modified soybean meal to make feed and fed G. tilapia, and then weighed the body after feeding for 4 weeks and 7 weeks respectively. Biochemical indicators to evaluate the effect of transgenic soybean meal on the growth and physiology of tilapia.
Liu Mei told the journal of the “China Science Journal†that through research, it was found that eating tilapia containing genetically modified soy feed had abnormalities in some biochemical indicators, such as the number of white blood cells, platelet volume and distribution, and at the same time, in tilapia In the organization, some gene fragments that did not originally belong to tilapia were also found. The results indicate that the transgenic soybeans had some influence on some physiological processes of tilapia, but they did not have a visible effect on their growth. Whether or not the abnormalities indicate that they have caused substantial harm to tilapia remains to be further studied.
At the same time, Liu Mei emphasized that because this conclusion is only a preliminary result, the experiment needs to be further improved, and it cannot be concluded that GM feed is harmful.
Yan Shiyan introduced that his research center had conducted two tests on the safety of pigs fed with genetically modified soybean meal resistant to herbicide glyphosate. One of the trials was to feed about 7 to 8 kg of weaned piglets with a feed containing genetically modified glyphosate-tolerant soybean meal until the weight of the pigs increased to about 20 kg. Observe and record the physiological and biochemical indices of the pigs during this time period. Change; the other is a digestive test of 20 kg to 50 kg of pigs to determine if it has an effect on the digestive function of the pig.
"From the results of our experiments, we did not find that GM soybeans had adverse effects on pigs," said Yan Shiyan.
However, Yan Shiyan also admitted that the current test is not yet complete, but also needs long-term experimental research. For example, the effect of genetically modified soymeal on offspring after long-term sow feeding, "However, these studies are difficult and costly."
Zhang Junmin, a researcher at the Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, believes that the safety of genetically modified crops and feeds that meet the relevant requirements and research procedures can be guaranteed.
He explained to reporters from the China Science Journal that when researchers decided to transfer a gene to another species, they would conduct a rigorous and careful assessment of the role and safety of the gene and entrust professional agencies with the relevant GM regulations. Various risk assessments, this process is often up to seven or eight years. "So, as long as it strictly follows the procedures, the safety of genetically modified products as feed is controllable and trustworthy," he said.
Different sounds
However, Jiang Gaoming, a researcher at the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, firmly opposes the views of the above-mentioned experts. He believes that genetically modified feeds are quite risky and there have been a large number of experiments showing that genetically modified feeds have adverse effects on animals, and that these adverse effects are very likely to eventually be transmitted to humans through the food chain.
He first explained theoretically to a journalist of the “China Science Journal†that traditional biology believes that gene exchange in the natural world occurs in the vertical direction, that is, “seeds and melons, beans and beansâ€, and cross-species and cross-breeding. The genetic exchange between the worlds, namely "transgenic transgene", has a very low probability of occurring in nature.
Based on this, in the 1970s and 1980s, researchers generally believed that the transgenes that enter the digestive tracts of humans and other mammals through "transverse transgenesis" do not exist. This understanding played a fundamental role in the initial assessment of the "safety" of genetically modified foods.
Nowadays, science and technology have developed more sophisticated detection techniques and found that some of the DNA has not been destroyed by the digestive system. British scholars have discovered DNA fragments that have been transferred to the excrement of volunteers who consume genetically modified foods.
Normal genes can be divided into introns and exons. Among them, exons are responsible for coding proteins, and the current in-depth role of introns is still under study, but it can be confirmed that it does not participate in the compilation of proteins.
Normal plant genes contain introns, and therefore their gene length is long. After the animal eats the plant, it is not easily transferred to the animal's intestinal bacteria. Even if it accidentally enters the gut bacteria, the bacteria does not have the function to remove its intron, so this accidentally entered gene will not be expressed.
Transgenic crops do not have introns in the coding region of inserted genes, which makes it easier for the transferred genes to be expressed in bacteria.
"This means that genes that are artificially transferred to plants can be transfected into the animal's gut bacteria, or they can be expressed. If the gene is producing a toxic protein, then once it is Transplanted bacteria expressed in the intestine, the animal's enteric bacteria did not become a 'workshop' for the production of toxic proteins?"
"The animals are poisonous. Can you say that they will not affect the people who eat animals?"
Jiang Gaoming said that the above-mentioned hazards are just a manifestation of the hazards of genetically modified feeds. Further impacts on other aspects and deeper levels are still being studied.
He also revealed to reporters that a research group of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has also conducted experiments on the safety of genetically modified feeds, and the preliminary experimental results are also quite different from those of the aforementioned experts. According to reports, the research group selected 42 experimental birds of equal weight, and three groups (supplying suspected genetically modified corn, normal corn, and organic corn) were free-ranged in open-air chicken farms under the same environmental conditions. Each group had 14 animals, including 13 hens and 1 rooster.
The experiment lasted 263 days and found that 121 chickens were fed with suspected genetically modified corn, 349 chickens were fed regular corn, and 449 were fed with organic corn. The egg production of each chicken fed the suspected genetically modified corn was 34% and 27% of those fed regular corn and organic corn respectively. The number of eggs produced showed a significant downward trend and was only about one-third that of conventional corn or organic corn. . "Experimental results show that genetically modified feeds have an adverse effect on the animal's reproductive system."
The members of the research group explained to reporters that the reason why they chose “probably genetically modified corn†was because they could not obtain the required products from GM crop companies through public channels. "As soon as we heard that we were doing experiments on the safety of genetically modified organisms, many companies refused to sell them samples. We had to buy them in the areas where animal abnormalities occurred. As a result, if the experimental results finally prove that the GM crop is not suitable Feed, these companies will certainly not recognize these products are produced by them." The members of the research group said.
The food issue is fundamental
So, how should we look at and face the current controversy over the safety of genetically modified feed?
Some experts believe that the use of genetically modified crops in feed can be said to be to a certain extent a helpless move. This is because our country faces the contradiction between the growing demand for high-protein foods such as meat and eggs and the tight food supply situation.
According to Yan Shiyan, in the past, farmer raising pigs was basically a free-range house for each household. One family had a pig to be slaughtered for one year. In addition to food, there were many other plants and foodstuff residues.
However, with the shift of rural labor force, the current farming methods are becoming less and less and replaced by large-scale farming. This farming method emphasizes economic efficiency and requires high growth rate of pigs, so it depends largely on compound feed.
Yan Shiyan once calculated that if all of our pigs use compound feed, about 40% of the total food production will be consumed each year.
"With such a large demand, it is very difficult to eliminate the use of processing by-products from genetically modified crops in feeds without revolutionary breakthroughs," said Yan Shiyan.
It can be seen that the contradiction between food supply and demand is the key issue that leads to the dispute over the safety of genetically modified feed.
To this end, some experts suggest that the state should increase its support for research on genetically modified crops and feed safety.
However, according to Jiang Gaoming, this method of solving the food problem in China through the development of genetically modified technology and the import of genetically modified crops will not only solve the problem, but it will also be a way to “drink and quench thirstâ€.
He explained that, on the one hand, in addition to the potential impact on food safety, GM crops will also have adverse effects on the ecological environment. He cited the example of Dafeng City, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, which planted transgenic insect-resistant cotton from 2001. In recent years, its advantages have been declining year by year. Not only the quality of genetically modified cotton is getting worse, but after the control of the cotton bollworm, blind sucking, whiteflies and other sucking secondary pests have concentrated on large outbreaks.
On the other hand, large-scale promotion of genetically modified crops, especially those controlled by transnational companies, will have a major impact on China’s sovereignty over grain production and food security. Taking GM soybeans as an example, there is now a trend of dumping GM soybeans at low prices in China. The purpose is to force our farmers to stop growing native soybeans. “Once China really does not grow soybeans, the price of soybeans from these companies will certainly not be as low as it is now. It will certainly be 'sitting on the ground' and our food sovereignty will fall into their hands.â€
Jiang Gaoming believes that the development of ecological agriculture and the improvement of enthusiasm of farmers are the fundamental methods to solve China's food problems, and are the ultimate means to solve the problem of genetically modified feed safety. "Recently, the European Union and the United States have cooperated to carry out a project worth 50 billion U.S. dollars to develop the trade of natural organic foods. It can be seen that the return to ecological agriculture and organic agriculture is the real trend."
To this end, since 2007, Jiang Gaoming led the research team to lease 40 acres of arable land in Shandong to carry out demonstration experiments on ecological agriculture experiments. In the course of the study, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, agricultural films, additives were completely stopped, and transgenic technologies were not used to verify the role of ecology in maintaining agricultural production and improving economic efficiency.
According to Jiang Gaoming, by 2010, due to strict farmland ecological protection measures, supplemented by advanced ecological technologies, the area has changed from low-yielding fields to high-yielding fields, and biodiversity has greatly increased; the crops in the fields are not only very Less pests, and production has exceeded conventional production.
"The crops grown in ecological fields will not produce so much safety controversy whether they are used as food or feed," he said.
70%
At present, China's 150 million tons of feed requires approximately 37.5 million tons of protein raw materials, of which 70% depends on imports and imports 35 million tons of soybeans each year.
56%
From 1996 to 2009, global genetically modified crops brought about US$65 billion in economic benefits, 44% of which was a reduction in production costs, and 56% was a gain in output.
6
In 2011, six European countries approved the planting of transgenic insect-resistant maize, and more than 20 varieties of genetically modified corn were allowed to be imported for processing feed.
160 million
In 2011, 16.7 million farmers planted 160 million hectares of genetically modified crops in 29 countries in the world, an increase of 8% over 2010.
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