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Examining the safety of foods from animals fed biotechnology crops
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) is
releasing a new issue paper: 'The Safety of Meat, Milk, and Eggs from Animals
Fed Crops Derived from Modern Biotechnology'.
CASTTask Force Chair Richard Phipps of The University of Reading in the UK says
that the safety and availability of high-quality food and animal feedstuffs are
critical to populations worldwide.
"During the past decade, the area
of biotechnology-derived crops has increased dramatically from 4 to 90 million
hectares/year, and crop varieties of corn, soybean, cotton, and canola are now
widely used and are an important feedstuff in livestock production systems," he
says. "It is essential, therefore, to consider the safety of meat, milk, and
eggs obtained from animals fed crops derived from modern
biotechnology."
Written and evaluated by a Task Force of
international scientists, the paper aims to provide an overview of regulatory
assessments of biotechnology-derived crops, and summarise the empirical data
generated for assessing the safety of meat, milk, and eggs from animals fed
biotechnology-derived crops that express agronomic input
traits.
'Safety of Meat, Milk, and Eggs from Animals Fed Crops
Derived from Modern Biotechnology' provides evidence that biotechnology-derived
crops are as safe as conventional crops.
The paper's recommendations
include: continue using a case-by-case safety assessment approach; assess risks,
as opposed to hazards; provide adequate funding to regulatory groups; and
provide resources to increase public outreach and dialogue.
Editor WorldPoultry
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