Cons

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As biopharming is not yet an established and stable industry, it has raised many concerns and controversial debate regarding the safety and overall ethics of the practice. Many of these concerns have come from the fear of the unknown and from the threat it can have on human health.

The main concern with pharming is to do with the possibility of accidental cross-pollination between transgenic plants or the cross-breeding of transgenic animals with natural breeds of its kind. There is always a risk that plants designed for producing pharmaceuticals could have its pollen spread and fertilize natural crops leading to the destruction of the crops and a danger of illnesses if it goes by unnoticed. If pharming operations are not conducted in controlled environments, the health risks that it poses if it ends up in the normal supply of crops intended for human consumption are considerably dangerous. Likewise, there is a possibility that transgenic animals could escape from pharming laboratories or farms and could end up affecting breeds farmed for human consumption.

The fear of accidental cross breeding is not unreasonable, as there is a risk that it could lead to a disruption in the natural order of the ecosystem. An introduction of a modified gene from a transgenic organism could be disastrous, leading to the possibilities of mutations, diseases and the damage it could have to the environment.

The ethics of pharming by environmentalists and animal rights’ supporters alike have not failed to have been questioned, as they argue the appropriate usage of animals in biopharming. Concerns for the treatment of animals in whether they are regarded as simply “vessels” which are used to deliver humans drugs for their own benefit is a debate more related to the philosophical side of the issue. It is unlikely that opposition of transgenic animals and pharming will succeed to overcome the advances and support for this new technology, however opposition is always opposition and it continued protests or support against biopharming could lead to slower advancements.