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Question

What information on the reproductive health of second and third generation animals fed genetically engineered diets, is available?

Submitted by: Sunday Elder


Answer

Expert response from Community Manager

Moderator for GMOAnswers.com

Friday, 15/05/2015 16:47

Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, animal genomics and biotechnology Cooperative Extension specialist at the University of California, Davis, shared a similar response on GMO Answers here. Below is an excerpt:

 

“A number of long-term (of more than 90 d and up to 2 years in duration) feeding trials and multigenerational studies conducted by public research laboratories using various animal models including pigs, cows, quail, and fish have also been reviewed (Ricroch, 2013; Ricroch et al., 2013; Snell et al., 2012). Significant among these studies are two thorough multigenerational studies that examined the long-term effects of feeding a genetically engineered (GE) corn variety (MON810, expressing the insecticidal Cry1Ab protein from Bacillus thuringiensis [Bt], one of the few GE corn varieties approved for cultivation in the EU) to food-producing animals, specifically, a German study in dairy cattle and an Irish study in pigs. These stud­ies were notable in that they included appropriate con­trols consuming isogenic non-GE lines of corn, and both comprehensively examined a range of phenotypes and indicators of growth and health and also used sophisti­cated techniques to look for the presence of recombinantDNA (rDNA) and Bt protein in the tissues and products derived from these GE-fed animals (Guertler et al., 2010, 2012; Steinke et al., 2010; Walsh et al., 2011, 2012 a, b, 2013; Buzoianu et al., 2012 a, b, c, d, 2013 a, b).”

 

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