GM Pharmaceutical (GM Pharm) and Industrial Crops are used to grow pharmaceuticals (medicines) and industrial products. Historically medicines and industrial chemicals have been manufactured in factories using bacterial fermentation systems or mammalian cell cultures. This method of manufacturing medicines is expensive - but relatively safe, because production is confined to indoors.
The commercial application of GM technology to agricultural crops which produce medicine and industrial products has been pursued because ‘growing’ these products is cheaper than producing them in factories. However, manufacturing drugs and industrial compounds in the open environment poses new and high-level risks to the health of the environment and the human and animal food supply. GM Pharm and industrial crops have been much advertised, but the potential benefits claimed for them will ultimately be evaluated against the risks they pose.
