HL Deb 14 March 2001 vol 623 cc91-2WA
Lord Moran

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether A/K Protein Inc. have applied to the United States Food and Drug Administration to market genetically modified salmon which, if the application is approved, may lead to the use of "net pens in ocean waters"; and, if so, whether they will express concern to the United States Administration and to the North Atlantic Salmon Fisheries Organisation about the risk of irreversible damage to wild Atlantic salmon worldwide. [HL977]

The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Hayman)

We have asked the United States authorities to clarify the background on this issue and will consider the matter further in the light of the information they provide. We expect that any proposal to release genetically modified salmon will be assessed very carefully by the US authorities, and that they will only approve a release if it is not thought to pose an unacceptable risk to wild salmon stocks.