Ethical and Legal IssueEthical Issues: Like other forms of animal research, pharming has the potential to cause suffering and harm to the animals involved. Because of the somewhat random nature of gene insertion of microinjected DNA, genes are not always expressed in the appropriate tissues or at appropriate levels. It is possible that a transgene would be activated in places other than the mammary gland, and the resulting protein may be toxic to the animal. In addition, there is a chance that the transgene DNA, when microinjected into the fertilized egg, may insert itself into the genome in a way that disrupts the animal's normal gene function. If this happens, it can lead to birth defects, poor brain development, cancer, arthritis, diabetes or other health problems.(Pharming the Field)
Legal Issues: For some companies, there is fear that the “pharmed” plants will some how be mixed in with the regular plants, causing people who do not need the specified crop may innadvertantly take it. In 2002, ProdiGene was fined $250,000 and ordered by the USDA to pay over $3 million in cleanup costs after allowing a fraction of a bushel of volunteer pharm corn to comingle with the soybean crop later planted in that field. Although the chance of gene flow between species is claimed to be low and there was in this case no threat to consumers, the USDA has a zero tolerance policy. ProdiGene has since revised its protocols and resumed operations in Nebraska. In 2005, Anheuser- Busch threatened to boycott rice grown in Missouri because of plans by Ventria Bioscience to grow pharm rice in the state. A compromise was reached, but Ventria has withdrawn its 2006 permit to plant in Missouri due to unrelated circumstances. The company's field trials in North Carolina are expected to continue. (Pharming the Field)
People question the ethics of genetically modifying animals (such as the cows in the picture below). Some think it wrong and want to make it illegal to do so.  |
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