Guidelines - Development And Use Of Gene Technologies And Genetically Modified Crops
The GRDC will invest in the development and use of gene technologies and genetically modified crops where this will provide substantial agronomic, environmental or economic benefits to its stakeholders. To facilitate grower choice in the technologies incorporated into individual farming systems, the GRDC will also contribute to industry efforts to maintain the coexistence of different production systems and supply chains and facilitate informed decision-making regarding the use of gene technologies and genetically modified crops in Australian research programs and farming systems.
Background
Over the last 200 years, plants have been actively crossed to produce new and improved plants, with each cross resulting in the mixing of genetic material from both plants. In this process, even when the improved feature is successfully crossed into the original plant, additional, unwanted features can also be conferred in the breeding process. As such, plant breeders have had limited control over the breeding process, resulting in long timeframes in producing new and improved varieties.
Advances in biotechnology have led to the development of new technologies that, when applied to plant breeding, have led to quantum improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness with which scientists can produce new and improved plant varieties. These tools have increased knowledge of plant genetics, as well as scientists’ control over the movement of genetic material between plants in the breeding process. Three developments in modern biotechnology are now used to support plant breeding.
• Functional genomics, which is the branch of genomics that determines the biological function of genes and their products. In plant breeding, genomics research can assist in determining the gene or genes responsible for conferring traits of interest, e.g. disease resistance, tolerance to environmental stress or improved quality characteristics.
• Molecular markers, which are usually short fragments of DNA that are closely linked (on the chromosome) to the trait of interest. In plant breeding, a marker is a traceable DNA sequence that assists breeders in following the inheritance of a trait from one generation of plant crosses to the next.
• Genetic modification, or genetic engineering, which involves modifying the characteristics of an organism by adding, altering or removing genes including through introducing DNA from another species. An example of genetic modification is conferring pest resistance in cotton through the insertion of a gene from a soil bacterium.
These scientific advances have the potential to contribute significantly to Australia’s plant breeding efforts. For example, the use of molecular markers has the potential to shorten the breeding process from an average of 12-15 years to approximately eight to 10 years.
All three scientific advances can be used to enhance conventional plant breeding techniques for manipulating the genetic characteristics of plants to produce new and improved varieties. However, genetic modification of plants is an innovation of particular significance due to the ability of scientists to not only delete or alter genes in a plant, but also to mix genes from species that could not interbreed naturally. Technologies used to genetically modify plants – referred to as gene technologies – can substantially improve the efficiency and effectiveness of plant breeding efforts, including through the development of new, genetically modified (GM) plant varieties with environmental, agronomic, nutritional and quality characteristics of significant benefit to Australian farmers and the wider community. Such benefits include:
• increased disease resistance and pest resistance;
• improved tolerance to soil stresses and climatic stress;
• improvements in the nutritional value of grain-based foods, and
• new and improved plant-based industrial products, including oils, monomers and biopolymers.
Plant varieties with these attributes would contribute significantly to the sustainability and profitability of the Australian grains industry, with many of these innovations unable to be achieved without the use of gene technologies. In other words, they could not be achieved using only the techniques common to conventional plant breeding, even with the application of genomics science and the use of molecular markers.
However, while the potential benefits of GM crops are significant, the introduction of these crops into Australian farming systems raises concerns around the potential risks associated with the impact of GM crops on the environment, human health, farm agronomy and market access and trade.
Accordingly, GRDC policy on the development and use of gene technologies and GM crops must strike a balance between the benefits and risks of introducing these crops into Australian farming systems.
Role of the GRDC
Investment in the development and use of gene technologies and genetically modified crops
Continuous improvement in industry productivity has been critical to maintaining the international competitiveness and profitability of Australian grain growers and the wider grains industry. Since the late 1970s, Australia’s grain growers have achieved productivity gains of over 3% per annum. Of this productivity growth, around half has been due to the adoption of outputs of research and development, including new plant varieties.
The development of gene technologies, and their application to plant breeding, is one of the most important developments in modern agricultural science and these technologies have an important role to play in supporting the long-term profitability and sustainability of the Australian grains industry. Access to, and use of, gene technologies is important under two broad scenarios:
1. as part of the “proof-of-concept” phase in plant research, and
2. in the development of new, genetically modified crop varieties with beneficial agronomic, environmental and/or end-use characteristics.
While these two scenarios are interrelated, in contrast with the second scenario, the aim of research under the first scenario is not necessarily to develop a new plant variety but to understand how a gene contributes to a phenological trait (e.g. pest or disease resistance, drought or saline tolerance). When applied to plant breeding, this knowledge can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the overall breeding process.
As the GRDC has a national mandate to plan and invest in research on behalf of grain growers, the Corporation will facilitate access by Australian scientists, and thereby Australian growers, to gene technologies by investing in both “proof-of concept” work and the development of new and improved GM plant varieties.
Managing health and environmental risks of genetically modified crops
The Gene Technology Act 2000 has provided Australia with a robust regulatory regime for assessing and managing the environmental and health risks associated with the use of gene technologies and the open (commercial) release of GM crops. This assessment is undertaken by the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) on a case-by-case basis and across the spectrum of laboratory research, field trials and the open release of new GM varieties.
Where the GRDC invests in plant breeding research that entails the use of gene technologies or the development and release of a GM crop variety, this work is undertaken by research agencies in compliance with OGTR requirements.
To avoid duplication of existing and on-going research efforts, any additional investment in research related to the potential environmental and health impacts of GM crops will only be supported by the GRDC where there is a substantial gap in existing information and significant stakeholder benefit in investing in this research.
Managing agronomic and marketing risks of genetically modified crops
Unlike environmental and health risks, management of agronomic and market risks related to the introduction of GM crops should primarily be an industry responsibility.
From an agronomic perspective, a farming system comprises many different and interacting parts and the introduction of a GM crop can affect different parts of this system, including, for example, input use, paddock selection and preparation and in-crop management. As the introduction of a GM crop would be a new element in Australian farming systems, growers require access to science-based, factual information that will assist them in making decisions regarding the suitability of a particular crop for incorporation into their farming system.
Accordingly, the GRDC supports the inclusion of GM crop varieties in the National Variety Testing (NVT) Scheme and relevant agronomic trials, providing that OGTR license conditions enable the inclusion of such varieties in these trials and their inclusion does not add significantly to the cost of these trials. This will provide information to growers and the wider industry regarding the potential costs and benefits of a GM variety when incorporated into different types of farming systems.
In addition to the agronomic implications of adopting GM crops, sensitivity of some consumers and markets around GM food products also has implications for market access and trade. As different growers will wish to make different technology choices – and different consumers will wish to make different choices regarding the type of food they purchase – maintaining the coexistence of production systems and supply chains (GM, conventional and organic) is fundamental to the future of the Australian grains industry. This will require that the industry develop new policies, management practices and (potentially) supply chain technologies in order to manage the introduction of GM crops without significant disruption to non-GM markets. This includes the ability to segregate GM and non-GM grains where this is necessary to satisfy market requirements.
In managing agronomic and market risks, the role of the GRDC is to facilitate grower choice in the technologies they incorporate into individual farming systems by:
• contributing to industry efforts to maintain the coexistence of production systems and supply chains, and
• facilitating informed decision-making by growers, the wider industry and government in the use of gene technologies and GM crops in Australian research programs and farming systems.
Principles of GRDC investment in the development and use of gene technologies and genetically modified crops
To facilitate access by Australian scientists, and thereby Australian growers, to advances in gene technologies, the GRDC will invest in:
(a) the development and use of gene technologies where this will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Australian plant breeding efforts, and/or
(b) the development of a new genetically modified (GM) crop variety where this will provide substantial agronomic, environmental or economic benefits to GRDC stakeholders.
To facilitate grower choice in the technologies incorporated into individual farming systems, the GRDC will contribute to industry efforts to maintain the coexistence of different production systems and supply chains and facilitate informed decision-making regarding the use of gene technologies and GM crops by:
(a) where cost-effective, facilitating the inclusion of GM crops into the National Variety Testing Scheme and relevant agronomic trials in order to provide science-based, factual information on the costs and benefits of utilising these varieties in Australian farming systems;
(b) contributing to the development of technologies, management practices and industry policies that will support the coexistence of different production systems and supply chains;
(c) supporting education and information programs relating to the development and use of gene technologies and GM crops, and
(d) investing in research related to the potential environmental, health, agronomic and market impacts of GM crops where there is a substantial gap in existing information and significant stakeholder benefit associated with investing in this research.
Management of GRDC investment in the development and use of genetically modified crops
The Executive Manager, Program Operations is responsible for allocating responsibility for the management of individual investments between GRDC program managers, and for overall coordination of GRDC investments and initiatives across program areas and business units, in the area of gene technologies and GM crops.
