A reader from Canada sent me a link to the following:
November 3, 2015
Two kinds of genetically modified pigs are on their way to becoming pork on our dinner plates. If they do, they’ll be some of the very first genetically modified animals to enter our food system, along with genetically modified salmon that is also trying to gain regulatory approval.
But consumers are wary and lack confidence in governments’ readiness to regulate this new class of food product, researchers and activists say. …
The pigs aren’t “transgenic” — that is, they don’t contain genes from other organisms. …
Regulatory concerns
Lucy Sharratt, co-ordinator for the Canadian Biotechnology Network, said a major reason why consumers are wary is because of the way genetically modified foods are regulated in Canada.
Health Canada doesn’t do its own testing of the foods, relying instead on data generated by the companies trying to put the foods on the market, which is kept secret. It doesn’t disclose what it’s assessing. Nor does it consult with farmers or consumers, or require labelling of genetically modified foods after the fact, she added.
“The issue of transparency … is so deep,” she told The Current.
She thinks, at the very least, meat and fish from genetically modified animals should be labelled on grocery store shelves.
Jaffe said in the U.S., safety information about genetically modified foods is also kept secret.
“We have been very critical of that. We do think there needs to be transparency and public participation in the regulatory process,” he said. http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/gmo-pigs-1.3301560
The GMO industry does not want its products labeled as they fear that consumers are more likely to avoid items they know contained GMOs.
Although these GMO pigs are not ‘transgenic, there is transgenic research going on with pigs and human beings (see Pig-Human GMOs proposed) and transgenic pigs are likely in the future...
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