6. Gene transfer will exacerbate all the problems presented by the risks of herbicide, pesticide and viral resistance.

• Cross-pollination occurs between crop plants and their wild or weed relatives. Transgenic crop proponents argue that this will not happen because related plants are not grown close to crop fields and it is not possible over long distances. However, field tests with genetically engineered potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), showed that gene transfer is possible over long distances. Potatoes modified to be antibiotic resistant were planted in patches at varying distances from ordinary potatoes. Seeds showed that 72% of the ordinary plants grown close to the transgenic had the resistance gene. Of those grown up to 1,100 metres away, 35% had the transgene (Steinbrecher, 278).
• It was reported in the Journal Nature that genes transferred into transgenic plants can be up to 30 times more likely to escape than the plant's own genes. Genetic engineering uses artificially constructed vectors to multiply copies of genes and carry them into cells. All organisms and cells have natural defense mechanisms that allow them to destroy or inactivate foreign genes. Transgene instability is a big problem for the industry so vectors are now increasingly constructed to overcome those mechanisms that maintain the integrity of species. The result is that the artificially constructed vectors are especially good at carrying out horizontal gene transfer (Ho, p. 156).
• Recently, Monsanto was fined $25,000 by a British court for "genetic pollution"--inadequate barriers between an experimental field of GM oilseed rape and adjacent fields of natural crops. (Dyer)
• A group of researchers in Indiana University of the United States, headed by Dr. Jeffrey Palmer, have just reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA that a genetic parasite belonging to yeast has suddenly jumped into many unrelated species of higher plants recently. Until 1995, this parasite was thought to be confined to yeast and only one genus of higher plants out of the 25 surveyed had the parasite. But in a new survey of species from 335 genera, 48 were found to have the parasite (A Platform for Inducing Chemical Sales, RAFI).
• Gene transfer from crop radish to wild weedy relatives has been detected over distances of one kilometre. As well the fitness of weed-crop hybrids (crossbreeds) of radish were studied. The crossbreeds showed considerably greater fruit and seed production, and in all other measured characteristics the hybrids were like weeds. The results suggest that neutral or advantageous transgenes introduced into natural population will tend to persist in wild populations though biotech companies insist otherwise (Steinbrecher, p.278).
• Crop seeds travel hundreds of kilometres between seed merchant, farmer and processing factory, therefore spillage in transport is inevitable - and could be more worrying than threat through pollen spread (Steinbrecher, p.278).