Safety assessment of biotechnology used in animal production, including genetically modified (GM) feed and GM animals - a review

Since the beginning of the large-scale commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops in the mid-nineties, it has continuously increased. This has occurred in particular in non-European countries from which these crops may be exported as commodities to Europe and other markets. Before genetically modified organisms (GMO) are allowed onto the market as animal feed and/or food, they have to undergo a regulatory safety assessment as required by the law in many nations, including that of European Union (EU) nations under EU regulations. This safety assessment is based on an internationally harmonized approach of comparative safety assessment, in which the differences identified during the extensive comparison between a GMO and a conventional counterpart serve as basis for a further safety assessment. The GMOs that have been notified for regulatory approval and assessed for their safety as feed and food in the EU have so far been derived from crops and microorganisms. It is expected that in the near future, also several genetically modified (GM) animals may initially reach the market outside the EU. International activities to harmonize the safety assessment of GM animals have already started and have resulted in the issuance of specific guidelines by Codex alimentarius. Moreover, PEGASUS, an EU-funded project, will consider the perceptions, advantages and disadvantages of GM animals, including perspectives from the social-and life-sciences

Gentech in de veehouderij

Nederland en Europa moeten zich voorbereiden op de komst van nieuwe genetische technieken in de dierhouderij. De eerste genetisch gemodificeerde kweekvissen liggen waarschijnlijk binnen een paar jaar in supermarkten buiten Europa. En illegale toepassing van gendoping bij dieren is niet ondenkbaar, zegt onderzoeker Gijs Kleter van het RIKILT - Instituut voor voedselveilighei

Inventory of possible emerging hazards to food safety and an analysis of critical factors

Various recent incidents around food safety issues have led to the establishment of the European Food Safety Authority and its national counterparts in the member states of the European Union. Besides these measures, it is desirable to identify food risks while they are still emerging, i.e. when they still are hazards

Genetically modified animals from life-science, socio-economic and ethical perspectives: examining issues in an EU policy context

The interdisciplinary EC consortium (the PEGASUS project) aimed to examine the issues raised by the development, implementation and commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) animals, and derivative foods and pharmaceutical products. The results integrated existing social (including existing public perception) environmental and economic knowledge regarding GM animals to formulate policy recommendations relevant to new developments and applications. The use of GM in farmed animals (aquatic, terrestrial and pharmaceutical) was mapped and reviewed. A foresight exercise was conducted to identity future developments. Three case studies (aquatic, terrestrial and pharmaceutical) were applied to identify the issues raised, including the potential risks and benefits of GM animals from the perspectives of the production chain (economics and agri-food sector) and the life sciences (human and animal health, environmental impact, animal welfare and sustainable production). Ethical and policy concerns were examined through application of combined ethical matrix method and policy workshops. The case studies were also used to demonstrate the utility of public engagement in the policy process. The results suggest that public perceptions, ethical issues, the competitiveness of EU animal production and risk-benefit assessments that consider human and animal health, environmental impact and sustainable production need to be considered in EU policy development. Few issues were raised with application in the pharmaceutical sector, assuming ethical and economic issues were addressed in policy, but the introduction of agricultural GM animal applications should be considered on a case-by-case basis

Gentechnologie bij landbouwhuisdieren

Een overzicht van de ontwikkelingen van het kloneren van landbouwhuisdieren, met het oog op mogelijke consequenties voor beleid en regelgeving. Er wordt ingegaan op de techniek van dna modificatie, de invloed op veehouderij, fokkerij, praktijk, dierenwelzijn en -gezondheid, nationale veiligheid en regelgeving en de toekomstige ontwikkelingen in de nabije toekoms