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Expert response from Community Manager
Moderator for GMOAnswers.com
Friday, 02/02/2018 17:35
In the United States, livestock have been consuming feed made from genetically modified crops for almost twenty years. More than two-thirds of GM corn and half of GM soybeans are used for livestock feed. In that time, GMOs have never been detected in the milk, meat or eggs derived from animals fed genetically modified feed. Meaning livestock process GMO feed in the same way as any other feed.
Many studies have been conducted on the potential for GMO DNA or proteins to be transferred into animal tissues. No intact or immunologically reactive protein or DNA has been detected in animal tissue.
Read more about GMOs and how animals consume them here and check out this infographic which explains GMOs and animal feed here.
However, animals consuming GM products, shows no impact on the animal’s health or reproductive issues, as explained by Yvonne Badke, Senior Biometrician, Breeding Research Group, at the Breeding and Trait Development Unit at Bayer.
“Do GMO foods make animals sick? No. “There is no scientific evidence that animals in a production environment suffer health or reproductive issues because their feed is obtained from GMO crops,” states Yvonne Badke, Senior Biometrician, Breeding Research Group, Breeding and Trait Development Unit at Bayer. Yvonne provides an answer to a similar question about GMOs making animals sick. Here is an excerpt from Yvonne’s response:
“We are not exactly sure where the assumption in this question that animals are getting sick from GM feed is coming from. A few years ago, a rat-feeding study by Gilles-Eric Séralini, looking at the effects of GM corn, got a lot of attention because of its severe health impact on the subjects. However, the study received widespread criticism from the scientific community, and several government agencies in charge of food-safety issues have questioned its results. Several answers regarding the content and trustworthiness of Gilles-Eric Séralini’s results have been provided on GMO Answers; I refer you for more details to:
- http://gmoanswers.com/ask/have-you-reviewed-study-showing-gmos-caused-cancer-lab-rats
- http://gmoanswers.com/ask/if-critics-claim-seralinis-well-known-study-flawed-having-used-sprague-dawley-rat-doesnt-make
“There is no scientific evidence that animals in a production environment suffer health or reproductive issues because their feed is obtained from GMO crops. What is true is that the diet of animals grown for meat and dairy production has changed dramatically over the last century. Adding corn and soybean silage to the diet of cows (ruminants), swine and poultry has been extensively researched to obtain the optimal composition of feed for each species. We are aware that several articles claim that these animals suffered infertility or disease because their feed was GMO derived; however, when you look at the accompanying research, these effects were usually associated with a nutrient deficiency from the new composition of the feed. Once these effects were observed, steps were taken to identify the deficiency and introduce better-composed feed.”
Read the full response here.
We also invite you to check out this booklet which discusses GMOs in Animal Agriculture. We hope the information provided answers your question. If you have any further questions, please ask. Also, feel free to contribute to the discussion in the comment section below!
