【情報共有】アクアバウンティ社のGMサーモン完全撤退

転載です
田中正治

[情報共有]アクアバウンティ社のGMサーモン完全撤退
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GMサーモン会社アクアバウンティが操業停止

2024年12月12日木曜日 - バイオテクノロジー企業アクアバウンティ社は、すべての遺伝子組み換え（GMまたは遺伝子操作）サケの生産を停止し、カナダのプリンス・エドワード・アイランド（PEI）のベイ・フォーチュンにある最後の稼働施設を閉鎖すると発表した。

「遺伝子組み換え食品に対する20年以上にわたる抗議の末、アクアバウンティ社が姿を消したことは喜ばしいことです」と、GMOフリーPEIのシャロン・ラブチャックは語った。

アクアバウンティ社は2017年に世界初の遺伝子組み換え食用動物である遺伝子組み換えサーモンを市場に出したが、現在は最後の魚を処分している。昨日、同社はベイ・フォーチュンにある 「唯一残された養殖場 」を維持するための十分な資金がないと発表し、最高経営責任者（CEO）のデイビッド・メルブールが辞任した(1)。

「この苦境に陥っている会社は、数十年にわたる政府からの資金援助と、消費者に遺伝子組み換え食品の表示を義務付けないという連邦政府の政策の支持に加え、投資家の誇大宣伝によって生き延びてきた。カナダ・バイオテクノロジー・アクション・ネットワーク（CBAN）のコーディネーターであるルーシー・シャラット氏は、「同社は、政府の補助金と支援政策をもってしても、遺伝子組み換えサケの生産を実現することができなかった」と語った。

同社の発表は、連邦政府とPEI州政府が同社に231,095ドルの共同資金提供を発表したわずか数週間後のことである(2)。つい先週、CBANはカナダとPEIの会計監査院、連邦政府と州の漁業大臣に、この資金使途に異議を唱え、アクアバウンティ社への資金提供継続における政府の意思決定の見直しを要請する書簡を送った(3)。 アクアバウンティ社は、プリンス・エドワード・アイランド州政府に対し、2018年の融資額270万ドルのうち少なくとも150万ドルの借金を負っている。

「野生のアトランティックサーモンへのリスクとなるもので、決して始めるべきでなかった科学実験がついに終わる。PEIでの操業を停止するにあたり、遺伝子組み換えの魚と卵を確実に廃棄し、操業停止中に逃亡することがないようにしていただきたい」と、ネイチャー・カナダのシニア・アドバイザー、マーク・バトラーは言う。

2023年2月、アクアバウンティ社はPEIのロロ湾にある遺伝子組み換えサケ生産施設を閉鎖し、2024年9月に建物を売却すると発表した。2024年7月、同社は米国インディアナ州にある別の主要な遺伝子組み換えサーモン生産施設を売却した。同社は現在、PEIのベイ・フォーチュンにある残りの小規模施設を閉鎖している。この施設は、建設途中だった米国オハイオ州の施設にGMサーモンの卵を提供する予定だった。オハイオ州の施設の建設は2023年から中断しており、アクアバウンティ社は現在、資産の売却を続ける一方で「オハイオの養殖場プロジェクトの代替案」を探っている。


GM Salmon Company AquaBounty Shuts Down Operations

Thursday, December 12, 2024 – The troubled biotechnology company AquaBounty has announced it will stop production of all genetically modified (GM or genetically engineered) salmon and is closing its last working facility, at Bay Fortune in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada.

“We’re glad to see the back of this company after over twenty years of our protests against genetically modified food,” said Sharon Labchuk of GMO Free PEI.

AquaBounty released the world’s first GM food animal – a GM salmon – onto the market in 2017 but is now culling the last of its fish. Yesterday, the company announced that it does not have sufficient liquidity to maintain its “only remaining operating farm” at Bay Fortune and its Chief Executive Officer, David Melboure, has resigned.(1)

“This struggling company has survived largely due to investor hype along with decades of government funding and the support of the federal policy to deny consumers mandatory labelling of GM food. The company couldn’t make producing GM salmon viable even with all the government subsidies and supportive policies,” said Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN).

The company’s announcement comes just weeks after the federal and PEI governments announced $231,095 in joint funding for the company.(2) Just last week, CBAN wrote to the Auditor General of Canada and of PEI and to the federal and provincial ministers of fisheries to object to this use of funds and request a review of government decision-making in continued funding for AquaBounty.(3) AquaBounty still owes the Government of Prince Edward Island at least $1.5-million from a 2018 loan of $2.7-million.

“And so ends a science experiment which never should have started because of the risk to wild Atlantic salmon. As they shut their operations in PEI, we encourage the company to ensure that all genetically modified fish and eggs are safely culled to ensure there is no risk of escape in the closing days,” says Mark Butler, Senior Advisor at Nature Canada.

In February 2023, AquaBounty announced it was closing its purpose-built GM salmon production facility at Rollo Bay, PEI, and put the building up for sale in September 2024. In July 2024, the company sold its other major GM salmon production facility, in Indiana, US. The company is now shutting down its remaining, smaller facility at Bay Fortune in PEI which it said would be used to produce GM salmon eggs for its not-yet-built facility in Ohio, US. Construction of the Ohio site has been on hold since 2023 and AquaBounty now says it is assessing “alternatives for our Ohio farm project” while the company continues to sell its assets.

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For more information:
Sharon Labchuk, GMO Free PEI +1 902 626 7327
Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network +1 902 2029 4906, coordinator@cban.ca
Mark Butler, Nature Canada, +1 902-266-5401 mbutler@naturecanada.ca

NOTES:
(1) AquaBounty, Press Release: AquaBounty Announces Plans to Cease Fish Farming Operations, December 11, 2024. https://investors.aquabounty.com/news-releases/news-release-details/aquabounty-announces-plans-cease-fish-farming-operations
(2) Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Press Release: Government of Canada and Province of Prince Edward Island announce funding for 39 companies to help improve quality, productivity and sustainability in the provincial fish and seafood sector, November 13, 2024.
https://www.canada.ca/en/fisheries-oceans/news/2024/11/government-of-canada-and-province-of-prince-edward-island-announce-funding-for-39-companies-to-help-improve-quality-productivity-and-sustainability.html
(3) Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, RE: Request to investigate decisions to provide public funds to AquaBounty, Letter, December 2, 2024. https://cban.ca/wp-content/uploads/Investigation-request-re-funding-for-AquaBounty-Dec-2-2024-CBAN.pdf

BACKGROUND:
Update on GM Salmon, CBAN, September 2024. www.cban.ca/GMsalmonupdate2024
Press Release - December 2, 2024: Federal and PEI Governments Prop Up Failing GM Salmon Company
https://cban.ca/federal-and-pei-governments-prop-up-failing-gm-salmon-company/
Press Release - October 2, 2024: GM Fish Factory in P.E.I. for Sale: Taxpayers Should Get Their Money Back https://cban.ca/gm-fish-factory-in-p-e-i-for-sale-taxpayers-should-get-their-money-back/
www.cban.ca/fish

The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) brings together 15 groups to research, monitor and raise awareness about issues relating to genetic engineering in food and farming. CBAN members include farmer associations, environmental and social justice organizations, and regional coalitions of grassroots groups. CBAN is a project of MakeWay’s shared platform. www.cban.ca/fish

GMO Free PEI is a coalition of community groups in Prince Edward Island that works with concerned islanders to stop the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The coalition has been active since 2001 and includes Earth Action PEI, The Council of Canadians-PEI Chapter, and the MacKillop Centre for Social Justice in P.E.I.

Nature Canada is one of the oldest national nature conservation charities in Canada. For 80 years, Nature Canada has helped protect over 110 million acres of parks and wildlife areas in Canada and countless species. Today, Nature Canada represents a network of over 130,000 members and supporters and more than 1,000 nature organizations. www.naturecanada.ca