Genetically Engineered Soil Microbes—Cause for Concern
by Janet Richards
A Tilth member brought to my attention a report published by Friends of the Earth about genetically engineered (GE) soil microbes. I’ve heard of GMOs–genetically modified organisms, mainly plants–as something to avoid because they haven’t moved agriculture in a positive direction. We continue to use harmful agricultural chemicals more than ever. And it is noteworthy that GMOs are still excluded by the USDA Organic Certification. But what are GE soil microbes about?
The use of GE microbes is a proposal to improve the biological activity of the soil, thereby reducing the need for harmful chemical pesticides and fertilizers. We know about the role of microbes in soil and their relationship to plants. The oft-given example is nitrogen-fixing bacteria that attach to the roots of legumes, providing nitrogen to the plant. But there are many beneficial soil microbes, such as those that raise available nitrogen in the soil, provide other nutrients and signal diseases to plants. We are just starting to discover all the ways that abundant and bio-diverse microbes support healthy plants.
Humans shape the soil microbiome by the plants we choose to grow, the chemicals and other additives we use, how much we till, and now, by releasing GE microbes into the soil. Since 2019, two GE microbe products have been sold and are in use in the United States: Pivot Bio Proven and BASF Poncho. No data or research shows either product to be effective in the claims made by the companies to reduce the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizer. Evidence shows that growers using Proven, an engineered nitrogen-fixing bacteria, still apply chemical nitrogen. Poncho is a seed treatment that includes a bacteria engineered to be pest resistant, but the treatment is used in combination with a neonicotinoid insecticide (clothianidin) known to be extremely toxic to pollinators and other beneficial insects.
The major risk of using GE soil microbes is possible unintended consequences. Our knowledge of how microbes interact in the environment is limited. Scientists have characterized less than 1% of the estimated billions of species of microbes that make up the living soil. Releasing microbes into the soil at the same scale that agricultural chemicals are used now would be an unprecedented open-air experiment and impossible to contain. Release of GE microbes puts orders of magnitude more modified living organisms into the environment compared to genetically modified plants. Microbes, unlike plants or animals, are capable of horizontal gene transfer, altering microbial communities and plant and animal microbiomes, including human microbiomes.
Another risk stems from the fact that GMO plants have played a big role in entrenching the pest resistance created by chemicals, calling for even more pesticide use (called the pesticide treadmill). There is concern that GE microbes will perpetuate the pesticide treadmill, worsening the problem that we are trying to fix.
There is no doubt some researchers have a genuine intention of discovering something that will help people and the environment. But a handful big agricultural companies–Bayer, Syngenta (ChemChina), Corteva (Dow-Dupont) and BASF–have been buying up the mostly publicly-funded research and commercializing it. This consolidation of the large market players with huge investment by some of the wealthiest people in the world, makes it almost impossible for small start-ups to compete. Companies are taking advantage of a lack of regulation in the area of microbes, which is currently full of loopholes and has little transparency. The global market for biologicals is expected to triple by 2029. It’s happening fast. The report details much information about the regulatory process (or lack of it) and describes recommended regulation that could mitigate risks. I remain uneasy.
Perhaps the best argument for using GE microbes with extreme caution, or not at all, even for those people who believe that genetic engineering can help move us toward a healthier planet, is that there are time-tested natural processes that already do all the things that GE microbes propose to do. Farmers have been returning organic matter to their soil for a long time. We know today that this builds a healthy microbiome in the soil, and with that we can increase plant productivity, retain water and sequester carbon. Many people (myself included) believe that building ever-increasing networks of local regenerative agriculture can feed the world and restore healthy ecosystems. Such a holistic approach takes the well-being of all life into consideration as we work to turn our current society away from domination by groups that, despite huge and consequential risks, prioritize their own profit over the good of all life.
Read the report: foe.org/resources/ge-soil-microbes/