Study on Effect of GM Maize and Soybean Feed to Sows

Biotech feed meal had no effect on the reproductive characteristics and offspring performance of pregnant and lactating sows, according to a study published in Bulletin of the Veterinary Institute in Pulawy.

The researchers investigated the possible effect of MON-40-3-2 soybean meal and Bt maize MON810 on sows performance and blood cells, as well as the piglets rearing indices. Twenty four sows and their progenies were divided into groups based on their feed meal mixtures: I - control, conventional soybean meal and conventional maize; II - GM soybean meal and conventional maize; III - conventional soybean meal and GM maize; IV - GM soybean meal and GM maize. All feed mixtures used had similar nutritional content except for the presence or absence of genetically modified maize MON810 (5% for pregnant and 8% for lactating sows) and/or soybean meal MON-40-3-2 (4% for pregnant and 14% for lactating sows).

Results showed that feeding pregnant and lactating sows with mixtures containing GM soybean or/and meal Bt maize did not significantly affect their reproductive characteristics and offspring performance. There was no effect of dietary treatment on blood cells. Transfer of transgenic DNA from GM feed to blood was not evident.

Read the abstact of the study at http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/bvip.2013.57.issue-3/bvip-2013-0071/bvip-2013-0071.xml.