§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent research his Department has carried out into the effects on the food chain of animals eating foods containing genetically modified materials. [119015]
§ Ms StuartI have been asked to reply.
I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that there is no evidence to suggest that animals digest feed containing modified genetic material any differently from animal feed containing non-modified genetic material. Relevant work has considered the effects of the processing of materials used in animal feed to determine the extent to which genetic material is disrupted. One such project is due to be reported to the Food Standards Agency in the next few weeks. We also understand that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is considering a proposed project to establish the pathways of DNA from genetically modified material.