US Considers First Genetically Modified Animal for Food

Genetically engineered បង្កាត់ពូជតាមវិស្វកម្ម                       modified កែប្រែ

Atlantic salmon ត្រីសួម៉ុងអាត្លង់ទិកព្រៃ                                             wild ព្រៃ

Labeling ពាក់ផ្លាក                                                                  critics អ្នកទិះទាន

Approves​ យល់ព្រម                                                              imported​ នាំចូល

Banned ហាមប្រាម                                                               process ដំណើរការ

Safely សុវត្ថិភាព                                                                   studies​ ការសិក្សា

Waterways​ ផ្លូវទឹក                                                                 rules បទបញ្ជា

Reproduce កើតកូនចៅឡើងវិញ                                           thoughts មតិ

Farmers in the United States have grown genetically engineered crops since the late nineteen nineties. Now, a federal agency is deciding whether to let a genetically modified animal into the food supply for the first time.

A company, AquaBounty Technologies, has developed the AquAdvantage Salmon. The fish is an Atlantic salmon that contains genes from two other kinds of fish: ocean pout and Chinook salmon. With these genes, it can grow twice as fast as a wild Atlantic salmon. The company says the fish does not taste or smell any different from other salmon. The food and the Drug administration say there would be no need for special labeling if the salmon is found to have the same basic contents as other fish.

But critics say the genetically changed salmon is different from the other fish. They say if the FDA approves it for sale, people should be told what they buying. Americans eat mostly imported sea food. Last year that included billion dollars worth of imported salmon, one of the top imports.

Most of the wild salmon caught in North America comes from Alaska. That states banned farmed salmon from its water years ago.

Alaska Senator Mark Begich is leading a group of other United States senators, organizations and business to try to stop the FDA approval process.

Wenonah Hauter of the activist group Food and Water Watch says the AquAdvantage Salmon has not been studied enough for food safely. She says the three studies have very small samples. The data is not available to the public. And one of the studies is nineteen years old. Ms Hauter worries that the farmed fish could escape into waterways and reproduces with wild populations.

And she says the idea could not spread to other countries. She says there are fish farming operations in China that are very interested in this and that have a poor record of enforcing rules.

But the company says most of its fish are raised at inland fish farms. And it has promised the Food and Drug Administration that it would only market female salmon unable to reproduce.

David Ewards at the Biotechnology Industry Organization says the genetically modified fish is” just a new technology.” He says he is willing to eat the fish if the FDA says it is safe.

What are your thoughts on these subjects?

VOA Learning English for VOA Special English 
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