The AquAdvantage salmon developed byย AquaBounty Technologiesย ofย Massachusettsโan Atlantic salmon modified with a growth hormone gene from Chinook salmon so it grows to maturity fasterโhad been winding its way through the federal approval process for 17 years. Two years ago, the FDA had said it was going to release its environmental assessment, the final document in the approval process,ย within weeks. It was finally and quietlyย postedย on the FDAโs website only last Fridayโjust hours before the long holiday weekendโand published in the Federal Register December 21, 2012.
The release came, FDA sources say, in response to the publication of anย investigation inย Slateย by Jon Entine of theย Genetic Literacy Projectย two days before, on December 19, 2012. The GLP had reported that theย FDAย had definitively concluded last spring that the fish would have โno significant impactโ on the environment and was โas safe as food from conventional Atlantic salmon.โ However, the draft assessment, dated April 19, 2012, was not releasedโblocked on orders from the White House.
View the original article in Slate:ย Obama’s Science Commitment, FDA Face Ethics Scrutiny in Wake of GMO Salmon Fiasco.
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The seven month delay, sources within the government say, came after discussions late last spring betweenย Healthย and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibeliusโ office and officials linked to Valerie Jarrett at the Executive Office, who were debating the political implications of approving the GM salmon. Genetically modified plants and animals are controversial among the presidentโs political base, which was thought critical to his reelection efforts during a low point in the presidentโs popularity.
