GE and/or NGT for plants. Organic has a dilemma on its hands!

Certified organic agriculture is a system of farming that follows certain principles and standards that aim to protect the environment, animal welfare, and human health¹. Organic has resisted and fought against any genetically modified organism (GMO) being approved or used in any organic system. Gene editing (GE) and new genomic techniques (NGTs) are methods that can alter the genetic material of an organism, either by inserting, deleting, or modifying specific genes². This type of alteration is essentially impossible to identify in the newly produced plant and so once the lab experiments are over and the plants are in the field, a GE or NGT produced carrot is not noticeably different or genetically different from an organic carrot. This “dilemma” could mean more rules for organic, or more rules for breeders to be honest or a combination of both. It is definitely causing concern for certified organic agriculture.

Below are some different opinions and perspectives on how organic agriculture should relate to gene editing and NGTs that I downloaded using Bing Chat to explore this topic. Some of the main points are:

• Some organic farmers and advocates are opposed to gene editing and NGTs, as they consider them as forms of genetic modification (GM) that are incompatible with the organic principles and values. They argue that gene editing and NGTs pose potential risks to the environment, biodiversity, food safety, and consumer choice, and that they undermine the integrity and trust of the organic label^{3 4}.
• Some organic breeders and researchers are open to exploring the possibilities of gene editing and NGTs, as they believe they can offer benefits for organic agriculture, such as improving crop traits, enhancing resilience, and reducing inputs. They claim that gene editing and NGTs are different from GMO, as they can produce changes that are similar to those that occur naturally or by conventional breeding, and that they can be used in a responsible and transparent way that respects the organic standards and regulations^{4 5}.
• Some organic stakeholders and policymakers are calling for a dialogue and a consensus on how to address the challenges and opportunities of gene editing and NGTs for organic agriculture. They suggest that there is a need for more research, education, and communication on the scientific, ethical, and social aspects of gene editing and NGTs, and that there should be a participatory and inclusive process that involves all the actors in the organic sector and beyond^{4 5}.

As you can see, the response of organic agriculture to gene editing and NGTs is not uniform or simple, but rather complex and diverse. There are tensions and debates at the boundary of organic and biotechnology, and some claim that there may be opportunities and collaborations for innovation and sustainability. Right now, organic organizations in the US are united against NGT’s and are pushing hard to keep them out of organic. What most breeders point to is the ability to quickly make changes to plants versus the time-consuming techniques in conventional breeding. Of course, they forget that in the process of pursuing certain traits the longer process of conventional breeding has produced many traits that were not anticipated, most to the better. Also, this slow process can help us avoid unwanted traits or never even get those traits expressed. Lastly, there has been problems with NGT produced varieties that when introduced into our current varieties would be hard to erase.

Author: Bob Whitney

Extension Organic Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension View all posts by Bob Whitney