In the United States, at least, it already has a foothold. Associations representing the US citrus and cherry industries, for example, have commissioned tailor-made gene drives to combat the pests threatening their crops – and their income.
In January, the California Cherry Board noted “considerable progress” in developing a “functional” gene drive system for the invasive spotted wing fruit fly (Drosophila suzukii), which has devastated cherry, peach and plum orchards.
With funding from the cherry growers, scientists at the University of California in San Diego set up a pair of companies last year to commercialise gene drives, with one focused on insects and plants, and the other on engineering lab mice and possibly pet dogs.
Agri-chemical and GMO giants such as Monsanto-Bayer, Syngenta-ChemChina and Dow Dupont, meanwhile, are reportedly tracking the technology’s emergence.
“Gene drives offer agribusiness new potential opportunities to generate income from the problems faced by farmers,” Thomas said. But with a new twist: rather than making plants pest-resistent, gene drive technology alters the pests, rendering them harmless or programming their extinction.
A petition released on Tuesday, World Food Day, by nearly 200 civil society and small-farmer groups calls for “a global moratorium on any release of engineered gene drives,” a position supported by numerous developing countries.