Genetically Modified Birds

Unknown effects on human health There is a growing concern that introducing foreign genes into food plants 
may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health. A recent article published in Lancet examined 
the effects of GM potatoes on the digestive tract in rat. This study claimed that there were appreciable 
differences in the intestines of rats fed GM potatoes and rats fed unmodified potatoes. Yet critics say that this 
paper, like the monarch butterfly data, is flawed and does not hold up to scientific scrutiny. Moreover, the gene 
introduced into the potatoes was a snowdrop flower lectin, a substance known to be toxic to mammals. The 
scientists who created this variety of potato chose to use the lectin gene simply to test the methodology, and 
these potatoes were never intended for human or animal consumption.
On the whole, with the exception of possible allergenicity, scientists believe that GM foods do not present a risk 
to human health.
 
(3). Economic concerns
Bringing a GM food to market is a lengthy and costly process, and of course agri-biotech companies wish to 
ensure a profitable return on their investment. Many new plant genetic engineering technologies and GM plants 
have been patented, and patent infringement is a big concern of agribusiness. Yet consumer advocates are 
worried that patenting these new plant varieties will raise the price of seeds so high that small farmers and third 
world countries will not be able to afford seeds for GM crops, thus widening the gap between the wealthy and 
the poor. It is hoped that in a humanitarian gesture, more companies and non-profits will follow the lead of the 
Rockefeller Foundation and offer their products at reduced cost to impoverished nations.

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Genetically Modified Birds 
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Patent enforcement may also be difficult, as the contention of the farmers that they involuntarily grew 
Monsanto-engineered strains when their crops were cross-pollinated shows. One way to combat possible patent 
infringement is to introduce a "suicide gene" into GM plants. These plants would be viable for only one growing 
season and would produce sterile seeds that do not germinate. Farmers would need to buy a fresh supply of 
seeds each year. However, this would be financially disastrous for farmers in third world countries who cannot 
afford to buy seed each year and traditionally set aside a portion of their harvest to plant in the next growing 
season. In an open letter to the public, Monsanto has pledged to abandon all research using this suicide gene 
technology [18].