The transgenic salmon sold in Canada is worrying the environmentalists

photo Courtesy

AFP

Monday, 7 August 2017 13:25

UPDATE
Monday, 7 August 2017 13:25

Look at this article

With the arrival of the first genetically-engineered salmon on the plates of consumers in Canada, environmental organizations have criticized Monday the lack of a mandatory labelling and have asked supermarkets to remove these products from sale.

“The first genetically-modified animal arrives on the market and consumers will become, unbeknownst to them, the first guinea pigs”, Monday said Thibault Rehn of the organization, Vigilance OGM.

On Friday, the u.s. company AquaBounty Technologies announced the sale of approximately five tonnes of salmon fillets” transgenic on the canadian market, after having obtained in may the green light from the health authorities.

The ministry of Health and canadian food Agency (CFIA) had in the spring estimated that the salmon “is as safe and nutritious for humans and livestock as the salmon classic.”

“AquaBounty has not revealed where these salmon fillets GMOS have been sold, and we are shocked to discover that they have arrived on the market,” said Lucy Sharrat at the canadian biotechnology action (CBAN).

These salmon transgenic are high in Panama, but the company AquaBounty is seeking to produce directly from the Island-Prince Edward island, eastern Canada.

The environmental organization Ecology Action Centre (EAC) was the end of July, denounced the agreement given by the provincial government to the construction of a fish farm, while the federal ministry of Health had not given its green light.

The transgenic salmon developed by AquaBounty contains the gene of the growth hormone that allows it to grow more quickly than other salmon.

It can reach adult size after 16 to 18 months instead of 30 months for the Atlantic salmon from which it is derived.

Consumer organizations and environmentalists are trying to persuade major retailers to refuse the marketing of transgenic salmon.

The american giant of the distribution in Costco was indicated at the end of 2016 would not propose this product in its supermarkets.