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Modified tilapia developed by Intrexon and AquaBounty will not be considered GMO in Argentina.
GM tilapia achieves regulatory exemption in Argentina
UNITED STATES
Wednesday, December 19, 2018, 23:50 (GMT + 9)
Intrexon Corporation and its majority-owned subsidiary AquaBounty Technologies, Inc. announced that the gene edited line of tilapia (FLT 01) jointly developed will not be considered as a genetically modified organism (GMO) in Argentina, according to Argentina's National Advisory Commission on Agricultural Biotechnology (CONABIA).
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The firms indicate this line of tilapia enables more sustainable production through improvements in fillet yield, growth and feed conversion efficiency, enabling the tilapia to grow to market weight in less time, while also consuming less feed than conventional varieties.
Intrexon and AquaBounty stress that the engineered tilapia were developed using gene editing techniques and do not contain any foreign DNA or a new combination of genetic material that would warrant their regulation as genetically modified in Argentina.
Tilapia fillet.
FLT 01 is believed to be one of the first gene edited food animals to receive a regulatory exemption due to its designation as a non-GMO. As the companies look to move this product toward commercialization, standard food and environmental safety considerations will still apply to this product prior to introduction.
"We are focused on developing animal biotechnology for aquaculture and livestock through our subsidiaries to support sustainable food production in the U.S. and abroad," said LTG (Ret.) Thomas Bostick, PhD, PE, Chief Operating Officer of Intrexon.
"We are pleased with Argentina's leadership in establishing a transparent and predictable process for the advancement of products developed with gene editing techniques and see this as a critical development for companies seeking to bring highly innovative solutions to the global market using powerful and highly precise genetic tools,” Bostick stated.
Tilapia is the fourth most consumed seafood after shrimp, salmon and canned tuna and is forecast to be one of the highest growth production segments in aquaculture.
Both firms state that the jointly developed tilapia demonstrates a significant improvement in fillet yield of 70 per cent, a growth rate improvement of 16 per cent as well as a feed conversion rate improvement of 14 per cent, offering promise to producers to shorten the time to harvest.
In addition, they stress a shortened production cycle can reduce input costs, increase production outputs and reduce risk of disease. Defining sustainable solutions such as this tilapia will be critical to providing nutritious products to a growing population.
editorial@seafood.media
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