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What is a transgenic animal?
An animal is "transgenic" once a scientist inserts DNA from another organism. This process allows scientists to transfer beneficial genes from a different animal, bacterium, or plant. Currently scientists are developing transgenic pigs, cattle, fish and poultry.
Will products from transgenic animals be safe to eat?
Yes. The NAS study did not identify any food safety concerns associated with meat, milk products, or therapeutic proteins derived from transgenic animals.
What is aquaculture?
Aquaculture is the growth of aquatic organisms in a controlled environment. For more than a decade, aquaculture, often called fish farming, has been the fastest growing sector of animal production worldwide, growing 91 percent from 1987 to 1997. In fact, only 5 percent of the salmon we eat today are from the wild. Aquaculture can also help to reduce overfishing on wild stocks.
Why are scientists interested in transgenic animals?
Research into transgenic animals could prove useful in several ways.
Scientists can provide animals with beneficial genes or traits, such as disease resistance, that will improve their quality of life and bolster waning populations.
Transgenic animals may also be designed for organ production, helping to ease the critical shortage of kidneys and livers available for transplants. In addition, scientists are researching ways to produce proteins or drugs in transgenic animals.
Transgenic aquacultural research will hasten the development of high-quality, economical seafood, as well as protect stressed marine populations.
Are transgenic fish regulated by the government?
Yes. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration has higher regulatory standards for transgenic fish than for other foods. The sponsor must: (1) prove efficacy claims, and (2) safety criteria in three broad areas: human food safety, animal welfare, and environmental safety.
Are any transgenic animals on the food market today?
No. Several products are in development including AquaAdvantage© Salmon (developed by Aqua Bounty Farms). AquaAdvantage© Salmon have the capability of growing from egg to market size (6 to 10 lb.) in one to one-and-a-half years. Conventional fish-breeding techniques require two to three years to bring a fish to market. This new salmon could make fish farming more environmentally sustainable, decrease over-fishing of wild salmon and lower consumer costs. Aqua Bounty expects to introduce the AquaAdvantage© salmon within two to three years to a public for whom salmon is an increasingly popular food.
Are there any novel risks associated with transgenic animals?
No. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) conducted a study, Animal Biotechnology: Science Based Concerns, to identify the possible risks of transgenic animals. According to the NAS study, possible concerns associated with the development of transgenic animals include food product safety, environmental impact, and transgenic animal welfare. The study determined that these potential concerns should be studied on a case-by-case basis.
Are there any known benefits from transgenic animals?
- The benefits of transgenic animals include:
- Large-scale, low-cost production independent of proximity to the oceans and with reduced environmental impacts;
- Increased growth rates;
- Improved disease resistance;
- Improved food-conversion rates;
- Leaner meat;
- Increased muscle mass;
- Improved wool quality;
- Improved nutritional quality or appeal; and
- More efficient use of indoor water-recycling plants.
Specifically, the environmental and nutritional benefits resulting from aquaculture outweigh potential risks, which include the runoff of pollutants into closed or semi-closed waterways; the elimination of coastal forests and ecosystems; the potential for increases in waterborne disease and parasites; and sustainability.
How will transgenic animals impact the environment?
Some opponents of this technology consider "highly mobile" transgenic animals, such as fish and mosquitoes, to be of some risk to the environment. The principal concern is that genetically engineered animals may escape into the wild and breed with natural populations, which may harm those populations and their environment. Those developing transgenic animals seek to identify such risks and proactively work to minimize the factors that have the potential to cause environmental problems.
- With regards to fish farming and the production of enhanced salmon, some solutions to minimizing environmental risks include:
- Salmon grown in ocean net pens will be sterile, eliminating the contentious issue of potential with wild stocks.
- Specific environmental benefits of aquaculture include:
- Cutting in half the time required to raise salmon means supply can be increased without proportionately increasing the use of coastal waters;
- The increase in food conversion rates means that fewer natural resources are required to produce the fish, thus enhancing sustainability; and,
- The ability to grow fish very rapidly improves the economics of aquaculture so that land-based systems become economically viable and competitive with ocean-pen systems.
How might this technology affect the welfare of the animals themselves?
According to the NAS study, genetic engineering can potentially improve the welfare of modified animals. Specifically, genetic research will decrease animal mortality and morbidity through engineered resistance to diseases and parasites, and easing negative reactions to the ingestion of toxic plants.
According to the NAS study, genetic engineering could reduce or eliminate painful or uncomfortable standard agricultural practices like castration and de-horning.
Industry realizes that ethical considerations in the creation of transgenic animals need to be thoroughly discussed and studied. Industry supports current FDA policy requiring transgenic animal producers to prove that animal welfare is not harmed by the introduction of novel genes before transgenic animal products can be brought to market.
Are transgenic animals - or research animals used in genetic engineering research - cared for and treated the same as other research animals?
Absolutely.
Actually, transgenic animals are treated much better than usual because they are so rare and expensive.
The Animal Welfare Act is a federal law that sets standards for the care and treatment of all research animals, including transgenic animals and those used in genetic engineering. The standards cover housing, feeding, cleanliness, ventilation and veterinary care. All facilities using laboratory animals covered under the Act must register with the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which also conducts random, unannounced facility inspections to ensure that institutions are compliance. The Act also mandates the use of anesthesia or painkilling drugs for potentially painful procedures and for postoperative care unless the research precludes it.
The Act requires that each institution establish an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), which oversees and approves each proposed animal experiment as well as the institution's complete laboratory animal program. IACUC must include one veterinarian and one person who is unaffiliated with the research institution. In addition, these committees have the power to reject or halt any research project they believe to be in violation of USDA standards.
In addition to the Act, each research institution that receives a grant from the Public Health Service (PHS) must comply with its animal welfare assurance policy. This policy demands USDA compliance as well as adherence to the PHS recommendations on animal care and treatment, which are contained in a book called the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
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