United States Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) will add a rider to a farm spending bill that will essentially block the sale of genetically modified salmon, The Wall Street Journal said in an editorial.
“We’re told Ms. Murkowski will use her perch on the Senate Appropriations Committee this week to slip a rider into a farm spending bill that continues to block the sale of genetically modified salmon,” WSJ’s editorial board wrote in the opinion piece.
The rider would require a label comprehension study, which is typically reserved for pharmaceutical drugs and “can take years”, according to the editorial. In addition, the study would result in “the destruction of AquaBounty’s fish, as well as many jobs,” WSJ said.
AquaBounty is “hopeful that Congress and the Administration will allow the important innovations represented by our AquAdvantage Salmon to thrive consistent with the Federal policies with which we’ve complied, and will not enact a rider ban that harms American jobs and innovation,” Dave Conley, spokesperson for AquaBounty, told SeafoodSource.
“Our FDA-approved bioengineered salmon provide a sustainable, nutritious and tasty food source that benefits the environment as well as the consumer, and helps mitigate against overfishing. Developing a robust domestic aquaculture industry based on sound science and innovative technologies is important for our nation’s future food security,” Conley added.
As a longtime supporter of the wild Alaska fishing industry, Murkowski has opposed AquaBounty’s GM salmon since its inception. Earlier this year, she and other U.S. senators reintroduced the Genetically Engineered Salmon Labeling Act, which would ensure that any salmon that is genetically engineered be clearly labeled.
The USDA ultimately published labeling guidelines for genetically engineered foods – including GM salmon – but Murkowski said in a release that the “weak requirements” could confuse consumers and potentially pave a way for GM salmon to enter the U.S. market without clear labels.
“USDA’s new guidelines don’t require mandatory labeling, and instead allows producers to use QR codes or 1-800 numbers, which is a far stretch from giving consumers clear information,” Murkowski said. “There’s a huge difference between genetically engineered salmon and the healthy, sustainably-caught, wild Alaskan salmon. My legislation will ensure that consumers have all the facts, allowing them to make more informed decisions when they purchase salmon.”
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