The so-called “liberation” of genetically modified organisms, now baptized as “new genomic techniques”, is underway… And one of the fundamental impudences of its supporters is the corruption of the concept (and reality) of the natural. Whether it is a plant, or (soon) an animal. “Natural” under the new terminology (“new speak”) will be considered any species that has up to 20 mutations (genetic modifications from the original) in its DNA…
But what is now considered a “mutation”? According to the legislation under “negotiation”, genetic modification (mutation) is the replacement or introduction of no more than 20 nucleotides. 20 nucleotides per mutation × 20 mutations, neither a little nor a lot – 400 nucleotides!… Moreover, the deletion of any number of nucleotides is considered as just one of these (up to 20) mutations…
Under these conditions (and this legislation) even the alteration of 1/3 or even 1/2 of a plant’s genetic material would make it… “natural”! And the reconstruction doesn’t end there. Every geneticist will have at their disposal a “gene pool” from which they will be able to select the genetic “spare parts” with which to modify one plant organism or another.
What will the gene pool contain? The genes of the organism under mutation, and the genes of any other that is considered “related”. If, now, 20 mutations are made in plant organism A1 (substitution or insertion of up to 400 nucleotides) plus the deletion of any number of others, this plant organism A1, as “natural”, will have its place in the “gene pool”. So that in plant organism A2 the mutated A1 can be used – since it will be considered “related”…
This particular “liberation” is, literally, the absolute irresponsibility of geneticists, on a path where there will be no turning back…