USDA Approves Cargill’s Biotech Omega-3 Canola for Cultivation

US agribusiness firm Cargill has received approval from the US Department of Agriculture to grow a biotech canola variety in the USA that produces omega-3 fatty acids, which can be used to replace fish oil in aquaculture feeds.  

Cargill said that currently, aquafeed for farm-raised salmon contained fish oil to help them reach desired eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) omega-3 fatty acid levels. Its Latitude canola variety, developed in partnership with Germany’s BASF Plant Science, was a plant-based alternative to relieve harvesting pressure on wild fish populations, the company said. 

Cargill said it had been testing omega-3 canola varieties under permit in Montana since 2015, and with USDA deregulation, it planned to advance the commercialization of its long-chain omega-3 canola trait in a tightly-managed closed loop supply chain.  BASF generated the data package and submitted the application for USDA regulatory approval.