New Delhi, March 4 (IANS) An animal welfare organisation Thursday expressed concern over the latest developments in biotechnology, as a result of which genomes of farm animals are modified to propagate certain traits.
The Humane Society International (HSI) has written a letter in this regard to the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) under the environment ministry.

N.G. Jayasimha of the HSI said in a statement: “Farm animals now have their genomes modified or cloned to propagate certain traits useful to agribusiness, such as the yield of more meat. This could have serious adverse effects on farm animal welfare.”

“Therefore, we have written to the GEAC to frame regulations with regards to application of biotechnology to farm animals, which ensure their welfare. We also told them, if needed, we would be happy to submit a draft regulation,” he said.

According to Jayasimha, guidelines for regulating scientific experiments on animals issued by the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) do not cover experimentation on animals in agricultural production.

“The department of biotechnology also lacks specific regulations relating to animal cloning. The lack of regulatory or legal constraints on what can be done to animals in pursuit of increasing agricultural output is a major concern,” he said.