November 9, 2020

FDA fails to comply with environmental laws when approving AquaBounty salmon, US judge says

A judge from the US District Court for the Northern District of California has ruled that the Food and Drug Association has violated core environmental laws in approving AquaBounty's AquAdvantage salmon, a genetically modified fish.

Judge Vincent Chhabria agreed with environmental groups who fear the genetic salmon might damage wild salmon populations.

AquaBounty's plan was to breed the AquAdvantage with a genetic mix of ocean pout and Pacific Chinook on Rollo Bay of Canada's Prince Edward Island and then ship the eggs to its Indiana farm in the United States. AquAdvantage would be known for their larger size and fast growth.

The FDA approved the genetically engineered salmon in 2015, finding it had no significant impact.

However, Chhabria found on November 5 that the FDA ignored the serious environmental consequences of approving genetically engineered salmon and the full extent of plans to grow and commercialise the salmon in the US and around the world, violating the National Environmental Policy Act.

The court also ruled that FDA's unilateral decision that genetically engineered salmon could have no possible effect on highly-endangered, wild Atlantic salmon was wrong, in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

Chhabria ordered the FDA to thoroughly analyse the environmental consequences of an escape of genetically engineered salmon into the wild.

"Today's decision is a vital victory for endangered salmon and our oceans," said George Kimbrell, CFS legal director and counsel in the case."Genetically engineered animals create novel risks and regulators must rigorously analyse them using sound science, not stick their head in the sand as officials did here. In reality, this engineered fish offers nothing but unstudied risks. The absolute last thing our planet needs right now is another human-created crisis like escaped genetically engineered fish running amok."

- Food Safety News