Posted December 19, 2013
An apple variety which has been bioengineered to resist
browning is likely to be approved by USDA early next year, according to an
article by Agri-Pulse available here.
The apple varieties, Arctic Golden and Arctic Granny,
were developed by a Canadian biotechnology company, Okanagan Specialty Fruits. Neal Carter, president and founder of Okanagan
Specialty Fruits said, “Ten years of real-world field trial experience has
shown that Arctic trees and fruit are just like other apple varieties consumers
have come to know and love, until the fruit is bruised, bitten or cut.”
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS) recommended that the two varieties be granted non-regulated status last
month and APHIS concluded an environmental assessment.
The U.S. apple industry opposes approval, “not out of
opposition to genetic engineering but out of fear it could cause apple sales to
decline,” according to an article by Capital Press available here.
“In my mind the industry is not opposed to the
science. It’s the financial risk of
introducing the GMO apple into the largest producer of apples in the U.S.
(Washington State) that is our concern,” said Todd Fryhover, president of the
Washington Apple Commission in Wenatchee.
For more information on biotechnology, please visit the
National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
