A lamb which was modified genetically to contain jellyfish protein wound up illegally in the French food chain.
The female lamb, called Rubis, was the property of the French national institute for agricultural research (Inra). She was modified to be used for animal research.
Instead she was sent to an abattoir in November last year accompanied by a number of unmodified sheep.
In France it is illegal for people to sell or consume any genetically modified food. Selling a GM product attracts a maximum prison sentence of one year and a €75,000 fine. A judicial inquiry has been launched into the incident.
Inra has run a “green sheep” programme since 2009 in which lambs are modified with a green fluorescent protein from jellyfish. The protein turns the skin transparent with a green glow when put under certain ultraviolet light.
In this condition, the lamb can be used to monitor the activity of altered genes. With Rubis, the monitoring was of transplants for heart disease.
A former Inra biochemist said the gene contained “no or negligible risk” for humans, but deplored the incident as “intolerable” saying that foodstuffs can not enter the market without having been the subject of deep research.
Inra sells its unmodified animals to a local abattoir, but modified ones are normally euthanized and their carcasses incinerated.
An internal investigation suggests that it may have been a deliberate act of revenge by an employee.
