Go ahead for GM feed trials
NEW trials using genetically modified camelina plants have been given the go-ahead by the government.
Rothamsted Research, in Hertfordshire, in collaboration with the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aqaculture and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, has shown that genetically modified oils from the plant were an effective substitute for fish oil in the feeds of farmed salmon.
The new research will determine performance in the field, and the seed oil yield, of transgenic camelina plants that have been engineered to accumulate omega-3 fish oils in their seeds.
These fatty acids, also known as omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, help protect against human cardiovascular disease.
A recent study led by the University of Southampton found the uptake and use of these oils by the body was the same whether plant or fish based sources were consumed.
The hope is to develop a sustainable source of these beneficial oils from plants rather than from oceanic sources.