Prevalence and impacts of genetically engineered feedstuffs on livestock populations1

Abstract

Globally, food-producing animals consume 70 to 90% of genetically engineered (GE) crop biomass. This review briefly summarizes the scientific literature on performance and health of animals consuming feed containing GE ingredients and composition of products derived from them. It also discusses the field experience of feeding GE feed sources to commercial livestock populations and summarizes the suppliers of GE and non-GE animal feed in global trade. Numerous experimental studies have consistently revealed that the performance and health of GE-fed animals are comparable with those fed isogenic non-GE crop lines. United States animal agriculture produces over 9 billion food-producing animals annually, and more than 95% of these animals consume feed containing GE ingredients. Data on livestock productivity and health were collated from publicly available sources from 1983, before the introduction of GE crops in 1996, and subsequently through 2011, a period with high levels of predominately GE animal feed. These field data sets, representing over 100 billion animals following the introduction of GE crops, did not reveal unfavorable or perturbed trends in livestock health and productivity. No study has revealed any differences in the nutritional profile of animal products derived from GE-fed animals. Because DNA and protein are normal components of the diet that are digested, there are no detectable or reliably quantifiable traces of GE components in milk, meat, and eggs following consumption of GE feed. Globally, countries that are cultivating GE corn and soy are the major livestock feed exporters. Asynchronous regulatory approvals (i.e., cultivation approvals of GE varieties in exporting countries occurring before food and feed approvals in importing countries) have resulted in trade disruptions. This is likely to be increasingly problematic in the future as there are a large number of "second generation" GE crops with altered output traits for improved livestock feed in the developmental and regulatory pipelines. Additionally, advanced techniques to affect targeted genome modifications are emerging, and it is not clear whether these will be encompassed by the current GE process-based trigger for regulatory oversight. There is a pressing need for international harmonization of both regulatory frameworks for GE crops and governance of advanced breeding techniques to prevent widespread disruptions in international trade of livestock feedstuffs in the future.

An Alternative Paradigm for Food Production, Distribution, and Consumption: A Noneconomist’s Perspective

“…These claims include the link between GMOs and organ damage; GMOs leaving traces of modified genetic material in human bodies; and the potential for GMOs to mix with unrelated species, thereby creating new toxins, allergens, and carcinogens. However, other scientific investigations have concluded that such claims are unfounded (Netherwood et al 2004, Paarlberg 2009, Bennett et al 2013, Van Eenennaam & Young 2014. Despite such scientific studies, it is likely that, as Greene (2013Greene ( , 2014 argues, the demand for natural produce will continue to flourish.…”

Breaking through the feed barrier: options for improving forage genetics

“…However, the adoption of GM in forage grasses and legumes lags behind that in crops, and is limited to herbicide-resistant lucerne (Medicago sativa) (James 2013) and, more recently, a low-lignin trait in lucerne. However, there is substantial interest in output traits for animal production (Van Eenennaam and Young 2014).…”

The Institute of Resilient Communities

“…While there is no scientific evidence supporting any claims of detrimental side effects of GMOs in the modification of approved food [10,11], social media is dominated by claims of disastrous effects on animals and human consumers. Not only is a large portion of the animal feed in the US already genetically modified [12] without any obvious effect, GMOs need to play a critical role in addressing the enormous and expanding malnutrition in many developing countries specifically in Africa or India [13]. The development and utilization of vaccines have prevented devastating epidemics decimating whole communities and regions in the past.…”