The Panamanian National Environmental Authority (PNEA) recently fined genetically engineered salmon company AquaBounty Technologies USD 9,500 (EUR 7,457) for permitting and water-discharge violations.
In response to a complaint filed last year by Panamanian environmental organization Centro de Incidencia Ambiental, the PNEA charged AquaBounty with failing to secure legally required permits related to water use and water discharge prior to beginning operations and other violations.
As a result, NGO groups Food & Water Watch, Center for Food Safety and Friends of the Earth called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to terminate its regulatory review and deny AquaBounty’s pending application to sell genetically engineered (GE) salmon in the U.S. market.
“FDA has always assured the public that it is checking, monitoring and regulating AquaBounty’s production platform to ensure the company can mitigate the well-documented environmental impacts of escaped GE salmon,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. “We now know that AquaBounty is unwilling or unable to follow basic rules and regulations, and FDA is unable or unwilling to enforce them. It’s time to put an end to this dangerous experiment.”
AquaBounty’s facility in Panama has long experienced serious security issues, including a storm-related accident that lead to “lost” salmon in Panama, the groups claim.
“This decision is also even further proof that FDA is dangerously out of touch with the facts on the ground, advancing AquaBounty’s application based on its promises, not reality,” said George Kimbrell, senior attorney for Center for Food Safety, in a statement.
SeafoodSource has reached out to AquaBounty officials for comment but the company has not yet returned calls. This story will be updated.
