The revelation that a dairy co-operative will be involved in developing artificial milk with genetically modified ingredients should really come as no surprise on several fronts.
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Back in the days when large scale manufacture of margarine was hitting its straps, leading dairy companies wanted to blend it with butter to increase spreadability. Even though not genetically modified, margarine was touted as the dire enemy of dairy farmers.
The Victorian government even banned manufacture within its borders. We have moved on to where margarine spreads now fill our supermarket cabinets and the sale of butter has gone through the roof. Also, slowly but surely, we have moved forward on genetic modification as its benefits to yields and environmental sustainability are appreciated.
Now, GM Golden rice has been approved by the Philippines government. It has taken years for this to happen after it was developed to tackle the problem of blindness in third world country inhabitants. It contains extra vitamin A, which is necessary for eye health in very rudimentary diets. Interestingly, critics of the dairy co-operative's involvement in the development of non-dairy milk pointed out that its dairy farmer suppliers were banned from using GM species in their pastures.
Given the steady uptake of genetic modification in the cotton and grain industries, it is surely only a matter of time before we see say the benefits GM ryegrass and other species realised in pastures.
The way ahead surely could be pastures that address any problems of metabolic impact and animal health.
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In New Zealand, genetically modified (GM) ryegrass known as the High Metabolisable Energy (HME) Ryegrass, which aims to strike a balance among reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, better drought tolerance, and farm productivity, has been bred.
Ryegrass is used as a high-quality pasture grass for livestock. Dairy farmers have become more conscious about the environment and are searching for ways to reduce their carbon footprint while improving their produce at the same time.
In December of 2018, AgResearch reported that HME ryegrass grew up to 50 per cent faster than conventional ryegrass and produced 23 per cent less methane under laboratory conditions.
With the clamour created around global warming, it will be interesting to see how long it takes for this ryegrass to progress from highly controlled laboratory conditions to the paddock. Even though the impediments are monumental, it surely will.
