Li Jiayang, Vice Minister of Agriculture: commercial cultivation of genetically modified genes is steady.

From November 16 to 18, during the 17th High-tech Fair, more than 300 domestic and foreign agricultural genomics experts from more than a dozen countries and regions gathered in Shenzhen for in-depth exchanges.

"the scientific research level of our country as a whole is rapidly approaching the international leading level, and it is already in the forefront of the world in some fields, such as agricultural genomics research." Li Jiayang, vice minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and president of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said in an exclusive interview with Yangcheng Evening News after the meeting. Internationally, since genetically modified food was put on the market in 1996, there has not been a single food safety problem caused by genetically modified food. China has also implemented a very strict censorship system for genetically modified food. and is "steadily promoting the commercial cultivation of genetically modified genes". It is understandable that people are worried about GM, and the government needs to strengthen publicity and science popularization, and at the same time establish a traceability system for GM crops to protect people's right to know and choose.

A Seven genetically modified crops have "legal identity"

"up to now, seven varieties such as cotton, rice and corn have approved safety certificates for genetically modified production and application in China." Li Jiayang, vice minister of agriculture, told Yangcheng Evening News that, in fact, genetically modified food has long infiltrated into our lives, and the most typical direct consumption of agricultural products is papaya.

For a long time, papaya, which is common in fruit stalls in the south, has not attracted much attention in the controversy of "reverse reversal" because of its "genetically modified" identity, and public data cannot accurately inquire about the proportion of genetically modified papaya grown in China.

However, a reporter from Yangcheng Evening News inquired on the relevant website of the Ministry of Agriculture and found that the only genetically modified papaya variety known to have a safety certificate is papaya "Huanong 1" selected by South China Agricultural University through transgenic technology. It obtained the safety certificate for production and application in South China in 2010, and the certificate expired on August 31, 2015.

The reporter also found that in the approval list of GM safety certificates currently available to the Ministry of Agriculture, only GM insect-resistant cotton is still valid; at the end of 2014, two kinds of insect-resistant rice and genetically modified corn were renewed for five years after their previous safety certificates expired.

According to the relevant regulations, obtaining a safety certificate does not mean that planting can be promoted. Genetically modified crops also need to go through the steps of variety approval, seed production license and management license before they can enter the market. In 2009, the Ministry of Agriculture approved the safety certificates of two insect-resistant transgenic rice lines, but so far they have not been able to enter the variety approval, and there is still no definite number of commercial promotion.

At present, in addition to the large-scale commercial cultivation of transgenic insect-resistant cotton and transgenic papaya, there is no further breakthrough in the commercialization of genetically modified examination and approval of food crops in China.

Li Jiayang said, "at present, the international community is very cautious about the access of staple grains." China will steadily promote the liberalization of commercial cultivation of genetically modified genes in accordance with the steps of "non-edible-indirect edible-edible". " He pointed out that with the progress of science and technology, the existing regulations will be revised and adjusted accordingly, but it should be emphasized that each new variety still has to undergo relevant strict evaluation. "in the future, under the premise of rules, everyone will examine and approve in accordance with the management methods of genetically modified genes, and then put them into production."

B "talk about color change" reflects the credibility of the government "

If papaya and soybean oil that can be seen everywhere are genetically modified, is it safe for us to eat? What on earth has transgenic technology "changed"? Will it cause cumulative damage to the human body?

"transgenic means to put the selected related genes into the target variety in order to increase production and resistance to insect pests, so as to express better traits." Yang Weicai, director of the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told Yangcheng Evening News that papaya, for example, is easily infected with papaya ringspot virus. If it is not a genetically modified variety, it is difficult to control the virus.

The reporter learned that the target material of transgenic expression is mainly protein, that is to say, the transferred new gene is reflected in the protein of crops. In other words, as long as this protein is not an allergen or toxin, it can be digested and absorbed by the human body just like the protein in ordinary food.

"it's okay to eat genetically modified food for 10 years and 20 years," he said. Is there anything wrong with future generations? These questions are layman's words that do not understand science. " Li Jiayang said with a smile that food is digested as soon as it enters the digestive tract, and eating genetically modified foods will not change human genes, let alone pass them on to the next generation. "the person who raised this question confused genetically modified and transformed humans, which is very difficult and requires the study of special methods and technologies. If eating can change human genes, how much pork and beef have we eaten? "

In the interview, a number of agricultural experts stressed to reporters that at present, "there is no clear evidence" to prove that GM food is more harmful to the human body than non-GM food.

In August this year, the Ministry of Agriculture made it clear in its public reply to the proposal 4506 of the third session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese people's political Consultative Conference: there are authoritative international conclusions on the safety of genetically modified foods, and genetically modified foods approved for market are as safe as traditional foods.

Li Jiayang believes that the fact that some people "talk about color change" not only reflects the scientific literacy, but also reflects the credibility of the government. He said, for example, just like taking medicine, in fact, few patients really know exactly what kind of medicine it is, but doctors say it is safe and effective, and people believe their profession. "the industrialization of genetically modified organisms in the United States is doing very well, which has something to do with people's trust in food safety regulators."

Yang Weicai further pointed out that the frequent exposure of food safety problems in China has led to a lack of trust in the government, and the current public concern about GM is largely due to the panic caused by food safety. Therefore, from this level, the discussion of transgenic is not a scientific issue, but a social management issue.

C "establish a strict traceability system"

In the course of the reporter's interview, a number of experts mentioned that trust stems from transparency, to protect people's right to know and choose genetically modified foods, and to deal with the labeling, tracking and supervision of genetically modified foods.

In fact, in response to consumers' concerns about the safety of genetically modified products, the revised draft of the seed Law recently passed by the standing Committee of the National people's Congress has clearly put forward a request for strengthening tracking and supervision of genetically modified varieties and timely announcement of relevant information.

According to the newly revised draft seed law, we will resolutely crack down on illegal activities in the production and operation of unapproved genetically modified seeds, strengthen the examination and approval of the operation of approved crop seeds, establish a traceability system, and manage them in accordance with the law.

Li Jiayang said: intentional laws and regulations also need to be implemented by strong functional departments and grass-roots personnel, and supervision will be put in place with specific regulatory actions. "to implement the things and varieties you grow, which genetic modification is it? in which environment is it planted, and is it in line with production standards? If there is no strict traceability system such as variety approval and registration, GM may become a pure commercial behavior, and it will be difficult to control and hold accountable after it is put into the consumer market. "

Some people have also suggested that in terms of specific regulatory behavior, we can establish a regular reporting system for the cultivation of genetically modified varieties, a public system for cultivation and disposal, and so on. "only the disclosure of information can allay public anxiety."

However, the revised draft seed law is not the first in terms of laws stipulating that information on genetically modified products must be made public.

Article 16 of the regulations on the Administration of Food labelling issued in 2009 stipulates that those who belong to genetically modified foods or contain legal genetically modified materials shall be marked; the regulations on the Safety Management of Agricultural genetically modified organisms issued in 2001 stipulate that agricultural genetically modified organisms should be marked with the names of the main raw materials that contain genetically modified ingredients in the products. Article 69 of the Food Safety Law, which was formally implemented on October 1 this year, also stipulates that the production and marketing of genetically modified foods should be marked significantly in accordance with the regulations.

"GM labeling does not mean that it is unsafe, but gives people the right to know and the right to choose." The Ministry of Agriculture is studying whether the GM labeling system needs to be revised, according to he Yibing, director of the Science and Education Department of the Ministry of Agriculture. It is reported that unlike other countries that adopt quantitative labeling to set a threshold for genetically modified components, China adopts mandatory qualitative labeling of genetically modified genes, which can be said to be the most stringent.

According to the catalogue of the first batch of agricultural genetically modified organisms that implemented labeling management published in China in 2002, in addition to genetically modified papaya, the ones that must be identified include soybean seeds, corn seeds, cotton seeds, tomato seeds, fresh tomatoes, ketchup, etc., a total of 17 species in 5 categories.

The reporter visited and found that more than a month after the implementation of the "Food Safety Law," taking soybean oil sold on the market as an example, some of the soybean oil sold on the market only marked "processing raw materials as genetically modified soybeans" in small words on the list of ingredients, and it was difficult to see the "significant sign" required by the regulations; in sharp contrast, many edible oils on the market marked with the obvious mark of "non-GM" as a selling point. In addition, there are almost no genetically modified markers in rape, tomatoes, corn and their products that are common on the table.

A person from the food regulatory department told the reporter that the "Food Safety Law" has just been revised and promulgated, and there is still a transitional stage in market supervision, specific to how genetically modified foods should be marked, how to label, and how to print font size. it has yet to be regulated in the detailed rules. There are also criticisms that if consumers cannot know what and how much GM food has been transferred, and mark "whether it is genetically modified or not", such a right to know has no specific significance to food safety.

D Food Security situation calls for transgenic Application

Despite the controversy, the state has not stopped supporting GM research alone. In 2008, the State Council approved the establishment of the "Major Project of Science and Technology for breeding varieties of genetically modified organisms", which is a major national medium-and long-term science and technology project, with a total investment of more than 20 billion yuan.

It is understood that at present, 95% of the domestic market for genetically modified insect-resistant cotton is independently developed. Wang Haiyang, a researcher at the Institute of Biotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told reporters that in some areas of GM research, such as insect-resistant cotton, we are already a world-class technical level.

In terms of import, China has approved the import of genetically modified crops such as soybean, corn and rape, which are limited to processing raw materials and must also obtain the safety certificate of our country at the same time. Yang Weicai, director of the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that China now imports 60 million to 70 million tons of soybeans a year, while only 15 million tons of soybeans are produced domestically. "most of the soybean oil now is foreign genetically modified soybeans."

Yang Weicai called on that if China does not let go of GM, corn will face a foreign monopoly like soybeans. "this situation is already obvious." Now that the prices of domestic agricultural products are rising, foreign agricultural products have a cost advantage. " He believes that for the purpose of feeding China's more than 1 billion people and ensuring the country's food security, biotechnology has brought some positive effects, of which genetically modified genes are the most direct means to reduce costs.

From an international point of view, genetically modified crops have been popularized on a large scale since 1996. the two main genes used are insect-resistant genes and herbicide-resistant genes, and the four main crops are soybean, corn, cotton and rape. At present, the United States ranks first in the world in terms of GM research and development, planting and consumption. In terms of acreage, China has changed from the fourth to the sixth.

Data show that in 2014, China's total grain output exceeded 600 million tons, but its consumption has reached 640 million tons. China's grain production growth rate is not as fast as that of grain demand, and the food security situation is still grim.

"the demand for production has called for the opening up of GM applications." Wang Haiyang told reporters that regulatory measures should keep pace with the times and formulate new policies according to actual needs. However, he is optimistic about this. "the national policy on GM is clear, and the GMO application will follow the promotion line of 'non-food-indirect food-consumption'. Step by step, I think some areas or some varieties can also be tested first. "