Modern Commercial Agriculture Part 1: GMOs, Biotechnology, and

Factory Farming AP HUG

Bell Ringer: The Meatrix

• http://www.themeatrix.com/ • As you watch, answer the following questions

in your notebook: – What is the purpose of the video? – What is the perspective of its creators? – To what extent do you agree with the video’s

message?

Factory Farm

• house huge quantities of livestock or poultry and emphasize high volume and profit with minimal regard for human health, safe food, the environment, or humane treatment of animals.

Feedlot

• Confined space used for controlled feeding of animals.

Factory farming expanded in 1920’s, after the discovery of vitamins A and D.

When these vitamins were added to feed the animals they no longer required exercise and sunlight for growth.

This allowed animals to be raised indoors, and started wide spread of disease, which was combated in the 1940’s with the development of antibiotics.

History

• Farms have become factories and the animals raised in these factories are mere commodities.

• As of 2000, only 30% of the 640,000 farms in the U.S. provided pasture for their animals.

• All the rest are confined in CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations).

Why They Exist

• Low cost — Intensive agriculture tends to produce food that can be sold at lower cost to consumers.

• Efficiency — Animals in confinement can be supervised more closely than free-ranging animals, and diseased animals can be treated faster.

Potential Problems Caused By Factory Farming

• Water Quality • Air Quality • Health Impacts

Water Quality

• Livestock collectively generate 130 times more waste in the U.S. than humans.

• Large numbers of animals on a small area of land creates excess manure

• factory farms’ manure “lagoons” often leak and dirty both surface and groundwater.

Air Quality • Manure lagoons release

more than 400 volatile chemicals, including ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which can cause seizures, brain damage, or death.

• There is now extensive literature documenting acute and chronic respiratory diseases among factory farm workers.

Health Impacts

• Antibiotic Resistance: More than 70% of antibiotics used in the U.S. are fed to livestock. According to APHA, the emerging scientific consensus is that antibiotics given to livestock contribute to antibiotic resistance in humans by creating bacteria immune to some antibiotics or “superbugs.”

Biotechnology• Manipulation and management of

biological organisms• Recombinant DNA techniques• Tissue culture (cloning)• Cell fusion• Embryo transfer

• Positive: high yielding, disease resistant “super” plants

• Negative: poorer countries excluded by distance and cost + concerns about safety

Genetically Modified Organisms

• Genetically Modified Food/Animals: are a result of technology that has altered the DNA of living organisms (animals, plants or bacteria)

Fertilizers and Pesticides

• Fertilizers– is any organic or

inorganic material that is added to soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants

• Pesticides– are substances

meant for destroying or eliminating any pest

Health Risks Associated with Health Risks Associated with Pesticides and Fertilizers Pesticides and Fertilizers

• Pesticide and Fertilizer residues on produce remain after washing and peeling. have links to cancer.

• Do you worry about pesticide residues onyour food?

Impact of Artificial Fertilizers and Pesticides

• Heavy and sustained use of fertilizers can result in serious soil degradation

• In artificially fertilized soils, the ability of the soil to absorb water is compromised

Increase in Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.

Source: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/BiotechCrops/

Four crops accounted for nearly all of the global biotech crop area in 2002

5%

12%

21%

62%

Canola

Cotton

Corn

Soybeans

Source: International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications

Four countries accounted for 99 percent* of the global biotech crop area in 2002

4%

6%

23%

66%

China

Canada

Argentina

United States

*Australia, Bulgaria, Colombia, Germany, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Romania, South Africa, Spain and Uruguay accounted for the remaining 1 percent of biotech crop acres.

Source: International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications

Some Benefits of Genetically Modified

Foods

Some Concerns about Genetically Modified Foods

• Possible adverse effects on human health• Introduction of new allergens • Antibiotic-resistant genes in foods• Production of new toxins• Concentration of toxic metals• Environmental impacts (from fertilizers and

pesticide use) • Dangers not yet identified

http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_environment/

The Golden Snail Close Reading Activity

• Pre-Reading Elbow Partner Discussion:– Imagine you are Filipino farmer. A company offers

you genetically modified seeds for your farm that will result in rice with increased amounts of Vitamin A and other nutrients.

• Talk in elbow partners and come up with a list of questions you would have for the company before deciding whether or not to accept the seeds.

The Golden Snail Close Reading Activity

• Based on your reading of the article, discuss in partners the following question: – What was the parable of the golden snail? – What lessons can we learn about genetically

modified seeds? – In what ways does this article change, alter or

confirm your view of GMOs?