Regulation Blocking Genetically-engineered Food Animal Development, Report Finds

A report entitled "The Science and Regulation of Food from Genetically Engineered Animals" has been recently published by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. The Report led by Alison Van Eenennaam, a University of California  Davis Cooperative Extension specialist in animal genomics and biotechnology disclosed that "a cumbersome and time-consuming federal regulatory process is stifling commercial investment in the development of genetically engineered animals for food and has serious long-term applications for agriculture and food security in the United States."

"Although humans and animals have been consuming genetically engineered food from plants for years, images of genetically engineered animals open new and often contentious debates about the issue," said Van Eenennaam. Issues on GE animals include regulatory oversight of research, development and post approval marketing.

The Report presents various stakeholders points on the strengths and weaknesses in the US Food and Drug Administration's regulatory approach which the task force tried to address. A section of the Report examines a proposal to raise and sell genetically engineered salmon called "AquaAdvantage" that grow to market size in half the time of conventional salmon.

The news can be viewed at http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=9931.