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Fist harvest of AquaBounty GE salmon approved for sale in Brazil

June 2, 2021  By  Nestor Arellano


Land-based aquaculture company AquaBounty Technologies Inc., has successfully completed the first commercial-scale harvest of its genetically engineered Atlantic salmon from the company’s facility in Albany, Indiana.  The company also announced it received regulatory approval for the sale of its AquAdvantage-branded GE salmon by Brazil’s National Biosafety Technical Commission (CTNBio).

“We are thrilled to commence commercial-scale harvesting of our GE salmon at our Indiana farm,” said Sylvia Wulf, chief executive officer of AquaBounty. “The first weeks of our harvest supply are fully committed and our customers are excited to introduce the salmon in their markets.”

She said AquaBounty’s Indiana plant will continue to ramp up production throughout 2021 to reach full capacity.

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CTNBio assessed AquaBounty’s application to ensure it met the relevant standards and regulatory requirements and concluded that the sale and consumption of AquaBounty’s GE salmon is safe for the environment and human health, according to a press release. CTNBio’s approval joins that of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada, making AquaBounty the first and only company in the world to have its GE Atlantic salmon approved in these three major markets.

Last month, the company said that it had received purchase orders for five metric tons of AquAdvantage salmon.

The company is also raising AquAdvantage salmon in another land-based farm in Rollo Bay, Prince Edward Island in Canada.

With this approval from Brazil’s National Biosafety Technical Commission, AquaBounty moves closer to realizing an exciting new market opportunity in South America.

“This is another significant achievement for AquaBounty as we seek to expand our presence into new international markets,” said Wulf. “This approval now enables us to seek production and distribution partners in Brazil, the largest and most populated country in South America with significant demand for salmon.”


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