FishBC.org
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http://www.theprovince.com/technolo...cally+modified+food+salmon/5945606/story.html
Now chime in if I am wrong, but if the US gets this fish to 16 countries all farming on land, will that not bankrupt Canada's fish pens which are growing a smaller, weaker, Atlantic salmon in polluted fish pens? Something tells me that it will either force the pens to move ashore and adapt accordingly or go bankrupt competing against 16 other countries producing larger fish in containment units.
Note the eggs are supposed to come from Canada's east coast, so you can expect the Fed Govt will put up a fight to try and destroy the availability of the eggs to these farms in order to protect the Fed's commercial interests in the water based pens in BC?.
I didn't see this posted here so thought I would post this up. I can see the feds using every tactic in the book to keep this from happening, but fortunately Mr H*rper the US is much bigger than you, and smarter too it seems!
U.S. approves first genetically modified food salmon
By Sarah Schmidt, Postmedia News January 4, 2012
OTTAWA — Canada could have trouble keeping genetically engineered salmon out of the food supply if the U.S. government approves the first genetically engineered animal that people can eat.
And according to an internal analysis obtained by Postmedia News, one potential solution is to simply follow the U.S. lead, in order to avoid trade complications. That would mean allowing the GE fish in the Canadian market.
AquaBounty Technologies, based in Massachusetts, is seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to sell its GE Atlantic salmon, called AquAdvantage, in the United States. But FDA approval could have ramifications for consumers north of the border, Canadian government officials say.
"If the product enters the U.S. market before it is approved to enter the Canadian food supply, it could result in bilateral trade complications. Canadian importers would need to ensure that any salmon or salmon product brought to Canada does not contain illegal GE salmon. Given the complexity of supply chains — particularly for processed foods — this could be difficult," states the Agriculture Canada memo on the commercialization of new technology.
The document, shared with staff in Health Canada's food directorate, was prepared in June 2010 by officials at Agriculture Canada in consultation with staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). The memo was drafted in preparation for a meeting of a Canada-U.S. committee on agriculture.
"Canada could also face complications in foreign markets if it is unable to provide assurance that its supply chain is free of GE salmon," the document states, raising the possibility of harmonizing approaches when it comes to GE animals.
"We want to work closely with the U.S. to ensure our approval processes for GE animals compliment (sic) one another and that we avoid any potential bilateral complications. Canada-U.S. regulators work closely together on an ongoing basis, but perhaps there is merit in seeking specific opportunities for them to meet and talk about GE animals," the document states under the heading of "talking points" for the meeting.
AquaBounty plans to transform its research facility in Prince Edward Island into a commercial hatchery to produce GE salmon eggs. The eggs would then be sent to an inland fish farm in Panama, where the GE Atlantic salmon would be raised and processed before being shipped as food for the U.S. market.
The company submitted its application to the FDA years ago, and received some good news in September 2010 when the FDA released its preliminary analysis. It concluded that the salmon — engineered to grow twice as fast as normal fish thanks to a growth hormone gene from chinook salmon and a genetic on-switch from the eel-like ocean pout — are safe to eat.
The FDA, which regulates GE animals as new animal drugs, also said in its preliminary analysis that the GE salmon were not expected to have a significant impact on the environment. A final decision on the application has not yet been made, although opponents continue to raise possible health concerns and worries that if the fish escaped, they could threaten wild fish stocks.
Even if the U.S. approves AquaBounty's application to sell GE salmon as food in the U.S., the company will need approval from Environment Canada to manufacture the GE fish eggs in Prince Edward Island, to be shipped to Panama. Approval falls under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).
And if the company wants to sell its GE salmon as food in Canada, AquaBounty would be required to receive approval from Health Canada. Unlike in the U.S., Canada considers a GE animal to be a novel food, not a new animal drug.
As of June 2010, the department had yet received such an application from AquaBounty, the memo states.
Health Canada says it can't say whether this has changed in the past 18 months, citing confidentiality. AquaBounty has also declined to say whether it has filed a submission with Health Canada.
From Michael Hart's perspective, the memo drafted for a bilateral meeting of agriculture officials is an "unexceptional brief and fairly responsible one."
The specialist in trade policy at Carleton University's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs said the authors of the memo review the "implications of not being on the same page" while operating under the general requirement that, "to the extent possible, they should avoid regulatory friction just for the sake of being different," said Hart.
The problem is Health Canada, "typically being slower" than its U.S. counterpart, is often playing catch up, added Hart.
"You know, they wait for everybody else to decide and then they make the same decision. It hasn't reached that stage yet and that might create some short-term trade problems. We've been working for years to create an integrated market and an integrated market requires that you smooth out as many as these problems as you can."
Leo Broderick sees things differently. The vice-chair of the Council of Canadians says the regulatory process for approving a GE animal in Canada is different — and that's a good thing, even if it means food inspections would need to be beefed up to ensure the GE salmon doesn't enter the food system in Canada.
"If it's approved in the United States as a veterinary drug, then it will have to undergo an evaluation in Canada as a novel food, and I expect the scrutiny will be much tighter here in Canada," said Broderick, based in Charlottetown.
Read more: http://www.canada.com/technology/ap...+food+salmon/5945606/story.html#ixzz1iwbVqN53
Now chime in if I am wrong, but if the US gets this fish to 16 countries all farming on land, will that not bankrupt Canada's fish pens which are growing a smaller, weaker, Atlantic salmon in polluted fish pens? Something tells me that it will either force the pens to move ashore and adapt accordingly or go bankrupt competing against 16 other countries producing larger fish in containment units.
Note the eggs are supposed to come from Canada's east coast, so you can expect the Fed Govt will put up a fight to try and destroy the availability of the eggs to these farms in order to protect the Fed's commercial interests in the water based pens in BC?.
I didn't see this posted here so thought I would post this up. I can see the feds using every tactic in the book to keep this from happening, but fortunately Mr H*rper the US is much bigger than you, and smarter too it seems!
U.S. approves first genetically modified food salmon
By Sarah Schmidt, Postmedia News January 4, 2012
OTTAWA — Canada could have trouble keeping genetically engineered salmon out of the food supply if the U.S. government approves the first genetically engineered animal that people can eat.
And according to an internal analysis obtained by Postmedia News, one potential solution is to simply follow the U.S. lead, in order to avoid trade complications. That would mean allowing the GE fish in the Canadian market.
AquaBounty Technologies, based in Massachusetts, is seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to sell its GE Atlantic salmon, called AquAdvantage, in the United States. But FDA approval could have ramifications for consumers north of the border, Canadian government officials say.
"If the product enters the U.S. market before it is approved to enter the Canadian food supply, it could result in bilateral trade complications. Canadian importers would need to ensure that any salmon or salmon product brought to Canada does not contain illegal GE salmon. Given the complexity of supply chains — particularly for processed foods — this could be difficult," states the Agriculture Canada memo on the commercialization of new technology.
The document, shared with staff in Health Canada's food directorate, was prepared in June 2010 by officials at Agriculture Canada in consultation with staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). The memo was drafted in preparation for a meeting of a Canada-U.S. committee on agriculture.
"Canada could also face complications in foreign markets if it is unable to provide assurance that its supply chain is free of GE salmon," the document states, raising the possibility of harmonizing approaches when it comes to GE animals.
"We want to work closely with the U.S. to ensure our approval processes for GE animals compliment (sic) one another and that we avoid any potential bilateral complications. Canada-U.S. regulators work closely together on an ongoing basis, but perhaps there is merit in seeking specific opportunities for them to meet and talk about GE animals," the document states under the heading of "talking points" for the meeting.
AquaBounty plans to transform its research facility in Prince Edward Island into a commercial hatchery to produce GE salmon eggs. The eggs would then be sent to an inland fish farm in Panama, where the GE Atlantic salmon would be raised and processed before being shipped as food for the U.S. market.
The company submitted its application to the FDA years ago, and received some good news in September 2010 when the FDA released its preliminary analysis. It concluded that the salmon — engineered to grow twice as fast as normal fish thanks to a growth hormone gene from chinook salmon and a genetic on-switch from the eel-like ocean pout — are safe to eat.
The FDA, which regulates GE animals as new animal drugs, also said in its preliminary analysis that the GE salmon were not expected to have a significant impact on the environment. A final decision on the application has not yet been made, although opponents continue to raise possible health concerns and worries that if the fish escaped, they could threaten wild fish stocks.
Even if the U.S. approves AquaBounty's application to sell GE salmon as food in the U.S., the company will need approval from Environment Canada to manufacture the GE fish eggs in Prince Edward Island, to be shipped to Panama. Approval falls under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).
And if the company wants to sell its GE salmon as food in Canada, AquaBounty would be required to receive approval from Health Canada. Unlike in the U.S., Canada considers a GE animal to be a novel food, not a new animal drug.
As of June 2010, the department had yet received such an application from AquaBounty, the memo states.
Health Canada says it can't say whether this has changed in the past 18 months, citing confidentiality. AquaBounty has also declined to say whether it has filed a submission with Health Canada.
From Michael Hart's perspective, the memo drafted for a bilateral meeting of agriculture officials is an "unexceptional brief and fairly responsible one."
The specialist in trade policy at Carleton University's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs said the authors of the memo review the "implications of not being on the same page" while operating under the general requirement that, "to the extent possible, they should avoid regulatory friction just for the sake of being different," said Hart.
The problem is Health Canada, "typically being slower" than its U.S. counterpart, is often playing catch up, added Hart.
"You know, they wait for everybody else to decide and then they make the same decision. It hasn't reached that stage yet and that might create some short-term trade problems. We've been working for years to create an integrated market and an integrated market requires that you smooth out as many as these problems as you can."
Leo Broderick sees things differently. The vice-chair of the Council of Canadians says the regulatory process for approving a GE animal in Canada is different — and that's a good thing, even if it means food inspections would need to be beefed up to ensure the GE salmon doesn't enter the food system in Canada.
"If it's approved in the United States as a veterinary drug, then it will have to undergo an evaluation in Canada as a novel food, and I expect the scrutiny will be much tighter here in Canada," said Broderick, based in Charlottetown.
Read more: http://www.canada.com/technology/ap...+food+salmon/5945606/story.html#ixzz1iwbVqN53
