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Research gives biotechnology a clean bill of healthThough some question the safety of milk, meat and eggs from animals fed crops derived from modern biotechnology, recent studies have shown no harmful health or nutritional effects by JIM DALRYMPLE Biotechnology has been used to enhance crop and livestock production for centuries and its impact on food production has been immense. Genetic engineering of grains is being used to modify many crops. Resistance to fungal diseases has been researched. The ability of crops to withstand freezing conditions is being established. Genetic engineering is being used to grow plants and animals to produce drugs, fuels, plastics, medicines and industrial chemicals. Yet many daily newspapers, environmentalists and concerned citizens question the safety of milk, meat and eggs from animals fed crops derived from modern biotechnology. A biotech crop plant is one that has been genetically engineered using recombinant DNA technology, either to promote or prevent the production of a particular protein with the objective of introducing or enhancing a desirable characteristic in the plant or seed. A report from California two years ago indicated that “most crops, through biotechnology, that are on the market today provide farmers with increased convenience and product quality while requiring fewer chemical inputs.” At that time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service reported that herbicide- and insect- resistant biotech varieties accounted for 85 percent of soybean acreage and 45 percent of corn acreage. Livestock consumed 80 percent of the corn grain and silage grown, making the livestock industry a major user of biotech crops. A recent report by the Council For Agricultural Science And Technology (CAST) in the United States has prepared an “Issue Paper” on this subject. The report, “Safety of Meat, Milk and Eggs from Animals Fed Crops Derived from Modern Technology,” gives a comprehensive overview of agriculture’s future through biotechnology. As the global land area of biotechnology-derived crops continues to increase, these crops have become an increasingly important source of feedstuffs for farm animals. Task force members from such institutions as the University of Reading’s School of Agriculture in the United Kingdom, ABS Global in Wisconsin, the Institute of Animal Nutrition in Germany, Human Nutrition and Biosafety in Brazil and the Food and Drug Administration in Maryland were all involved in the CAST report. Feeding studies have been conducted throughout the world indicating nutritional equivalence between biotechnology and conventional feed ingredients. These trials have included work with chickens, pigs, sheep, dairy cows, beef cattle, rabbits, buffalo and fish. Recent multigenerational studies have been completed comparing diets with non-biotechnology-derived and biotechnology-derived insect-resistant (Bt176) corn with laying hens for four generations. The results indicate that the biotechnology-derived corn did not influence the health and performance of poultry nor affect the quality of meat and eggs of animals compared with their non-biotechnology counterparts. Animals digest proteins from biotech crops in the same way as they digest proteins from non-biotech crops. Dietary DNA and proteins are degraded during the digestive process. A number of scientific studies have indicated that introduced DNA or proteins from biotech crops have not been detected in milk, meat or eggs from animals that consume feed components derived from these crops. The CAST report indicates that the regulatory processes in place to assess the safety of biotechnology-derived crops have been effective in safeguarding public health. There has not been an authenticated case of an adverse health reaction to food or feed derived from modern biotechnology. Biotech crops are being designed to change substantially their content -- protein, amino acids, oils, fatty acids, starches, sugars, fibre. Varieties of corn and soybeans with increased oil content will provide greater energy intake for beef, swine and poultry. This will reduce the amount of feed required in livestock diets and, in turn, reduce manure volumes. Enhanced protein content and quality, and altered amino acid levels, will improve feed performance and the environment. Reduced levels of mineral -- including phosphorus -- will also have an impact on performance, additional feed supplementation and environmental concerns. Plant breeders throughout the world are benefiting the livestock industry by enhancing grains or protein sources to produce livestock feeds that will improve feed efficiency, performance, product quality and animal health, while reducing production costs and environmental impacts.BFJ.R. (Jim) Dalrymple, P.Ag., CAC, is a former Ontario government swine specialist and owner of Livestock Technology Services in Brighton. © copyright 2006 AgMedia Inc..
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