§ Lord Alton of Liverpoolasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Williams of Mostyn on 8 March (WA 1) on genetically modified animals:
- (a) whether there is a statutory requirement to reveal, if an animal is being sold, that it has been modified with human genes;
- (b) what assessment is being made of the effect of such animals on the human food chain;
- (c) how many harmful mutants have been created;
- (d)what are these mutants; and
- (e) what harm they are likely to cause. [HL1507]
§ Lord Williams of MostynThere is no statutory requirement under the terms of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to reveal the status of animals being sold. However, animals can only be moved between establishments, transferred between different project licences or discharged from the controls of the Act (so that they may be exported) with the authority of the Secretary of State. Authorities may be granted in the relevant project licences or may be requested separately. Information must be provided, in both cases, about the genetic modification.
No animal produced or used under the terms of the 1986 Act has been allowed to enter the human food chain.
Although mutant strains that are of use in scientific procedures may be propagated in laboratories through selective breeding programmes, mutants are not created; they occur spontaneously, not only in laboratories but also in the wild. It is impossible, therefore, to estimate how many mutants have been produced, or to describe all the mutations and their effects.
§ Lord Alton of Liverpoolasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which laboratories have been granted licences to create transgenic animals between 1995 and 1999. [HL1572]
§ Lord Williams of MostynSection 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 prohibits the disclosure of information given in confidence. One of the primary purposes of this clause was to guard the identity of establishments and scientists, thereby helping to protect them from animal rights extremists.
§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the extent of the departmental responsibility of the Home Office for genetically modified animals or organisms. [HL1475]
§ Lord Williams of MostynUnder the terms of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, the Home Office is responsible in Great Britain for the production, breeding and use in scientific procedures of genetically modified "protected animals". Protected animals are 133WA defined under Section I of the Act as any vertebrate except man, plus one invertebrate species (Octopus vulgaris).