Humane Society International Calls For Regulation On Genetic Modification Of Farm Animals
International Animal Welfare Group offers to submit draft regulation.
Tweet-- Humane Society International (HSI)has sent a letter to the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), Ministry of Environment and Forest, urging them to frame regulations with regard to the application of biotechnology to farm animals, which protect animal welfare.
Recent developments in biotechnology have raised new concerns about animal welfare, as farm animals now have their genomes modified (genetically engineered) or copied (cloned) to propagate certain traits useful to agribusiness, such as meat yield or feed conversion. These technologies have already been shown to have serious adverse impacts on animal welfare.
"The lack of regulatory or legal constraints on what can be done to animals in pursuit of increasing agricultural output, coupled with the historical willingness of industrialized agriculture to sacrifice animal welfare for productivity and profit, raise additional concerns about genetically engineering or cloning farm animals," said N.G. Jayasimha, HSI's campaign manager in India ."Present regulations on the application of biotechnology to farm animals are inadequate. We have offered to draft new regulations."
HSI's letter to the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee follows.
March 2, 2010
Chairman
Genetic Engineering Approval Committee
Ministry of Environment and Forests
Government of India
Dear Sir,
I am writing to you on behalf of Humane Society International (HSI) to relay our concerns on application of biotechnology to farm animals. HSI is the international arm of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), an animal welfare organization with 11 million supporters. -
Developments in biotechnology have raised new concerns about animal welfare, as farm animals now have their genomes modified (genetically engineered) or copied (cloned) to propagate certain traits useful to agribusiness, such as meat yield or feed conversion. This could have serious adverse effects on farm animal welfare. For more detailed information, please see the attached article published recently in the Journal of Animal Science.
Guidelines on the Regulation of Scientific Experiments on Animals issued by the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) do not cover experimentation on animals in agricultural production. The Department of Biotechnology also lacks specific regulations relating to animal cloning. The lack of regulatory or legal constraints on what can be done to animals in pursuit of increasing agricultural output, coupled with the historical willingness of industrialized agriculture to sacrifice animal welfare for productivity and profit, reveal many of the problems with much biotechnological animal research.
We humbly request the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee to frame regulations with regard to application of biotechnology to farm animals, which protect animal welfare. If the committee wishes, we would be happy to submit a draft regulation.
I can be contacted at JayasimhaHSI@gmail.com or by phone on +91 9922949474 for any other information on this subject.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
N.G.Jayasimha
Campaign Manager
Copy to:
The Member Secretary, CPCSEA.
Encl: Trait selection and welfare of genetically engineered animals in agriculture, Journal of Animal Science.
Notes to Editor
Humane Society International is the international arm of The Humane Society of the United States, one of the world's largest animal protection organizations - backed by 11 million people. HSI is creating a better future for animals and people through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide - On the web at hsi.org.
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