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I take exception to a statement made by an Oct. 23 letter writer regarding the feeding of genetically modified organism foods (more appropriately termed GE-feed) to animals.
The letter writer stated that “animals fed these foods often suffer multiple-organ damage, birth defects, tumors and premature death.” While the letter writer may have expertise in the human medical field, his degree and experience operating an animal refuge do not qualify him as an expert in animal health. He should stick to his area of expertise rather than make unsubstantiated claims regarding animals.
Since GMOs were introduced, I have not observed nor heard of such adverse effects in animals. While my 35 years of experience as an animal health professional working with farm animals as well as dogs and cats should qualify me as a technical expert in animal health, the recent publication of scientists at UC-Davis supports my clinical impressions.
After analyzing data from publicly available sources for the period of 1983 through 2011 (14 years prior to GMO introduction to 15 years after introduction), they concluded that there are no detrimental effects to feeding genetically engineered crops to food-producing animals. That study represents over 100 billion animals.
While I am not personally aware of a similar data analysis for dogs and cats, I suspect it would reach the same conclusion. I suggest medical doctors limit professional opinions to their areas of expertise rather than stepping into areas they know nothing about.
Richard Willer
Kahului