Tolerance for Frankenfish is falling: survey
Fewer Canadians have faith in federal government's ability to safely regulate genetically modified foods
By SARAH SCHMIDT, Postmedia News October 5, 2011
http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Tolerance+Frankenfish+falling+survey/5503348/story.html

Support for genetically modified fish and animals is on the decline in Canada as more consumers grow skeptical of the federal government's ability to regulate these high-tech food options, a government-commissioned poll has found.

Thirteen per cent of Canadians said they approve of GM fish as long as the usual level of government oversight and control is in place - an 11-point drop from five years ago. On the flip side, more Canadians this year do not approve of GM fish, except under very special circumstances - 37 per cent compared with 24 per cent in 2006.

Meanwhile, only nine per cent approve of GM animals as long as the usual government oversight is in place, down from 14 per cent in 2006. Twenty-nine per cent do not approve of GM animals under any circumstance, a jump of eight points in five years.

The survey, carried out in February and considered accurate to within 3.4 per cent, 19 times out of 20, cites "some erosion" in confidence in the government's safety and regulatory systems for biotechnology and a widening "regulatory gap" in dealing with new technologies for the growing skepticism.

The results could prove a public relations challenge for the federal government, which is considering how to handle requests to commercialize genetically engineered fish and pigs.

Agriculture Canada commissioned the Harris/Decima survey last fall after government officials hosted a series of meetings with AquaBounty Technologies Inc., part of pre-notification consultations with the company, which is looking to bring its genetically engineered salmon to dinner plates.

The fish are engineered in Prince Edward Island, home to AquaBounty's research facilities, to grow to market size twice as fast as conventional salmon with a growth hormone gene from the Chinook and a genetic on-switch from the ocean pout.

Health Canada is also reviewing a formal application from University of Guelph scientists to approve a genetically engineered pig for human consumption. Environment Canada has already signed off on the commercialization plan for the so-called "Enviropig," created in 1999 - the world's first transgenic animal designed to solve an environmental problem.
The pigs, created with a snippet of mouse DNA introduced into their chromosomes, produce low phosphorus feces.

The survey results show that Canadians generally see the benefits outweighing the risks for bioproducts, but the "perceived risks clearly outweigh benefits" when the genetic modification of animals is considered.

"New this year is the perception that the risks of GM fish outweigh their benefits as compared to a neutral score in 2006," the report notes.

Close to one in four (23 per cent) say they are not at all confident in the government's ability to regulate GM fish - compared with 16 per cent in 2006. Meanwhile, the percentage of Canadians who are extremely or very confident in Ottawa's regulatory oversight stands at 14, down from 19 per cent.

Confidence in Ottawa's ability to regulate GM animals is even lower. Twenty-seven per cent said they are not at all confident, a four-point increase from 2006. Eleven per cent said they are extremely or very confident in Ottawa's regulatory oversight of GM animals, a seven-point drop since 2006.

Internal government records indicate some senior scientists from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans also have concerns, saying the government is "limited" and "may be constrained" by current regulations when considering an AquaBounty application to commercialize its research facility in P.E.I.

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