MadSci Network: Genetics |
Dear Taylor Thanks for your question. Sorry to have taken so long to reply but I was on holiday. In almost all countries there are rules for what can and cannot be called "organic". Every one that I know of says clearly that if a plant or animal is genetically engineered then it cannot be called organic under any circumstances. There is a slightly gray area, because some plants, like sweetcorn, may be accidentally pollinated by pollen from genetically engineered corn growing nearby, even though they are not themselves genetically engineered. In that case, the seeds of the sweetcorn, which is what we eat, might contain DNA from a genetically engineered parent. The rules are not too clear on this in most countries, and organic farmers need to make sure that there are no genetically engineered crops growing near them. I hope that helps. Jeremy
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Genetics.