According to a probe launched by French officials, a lamb that was genetically modified with genes from a jellyfish was sold from a lab. The lamb was a part of Inra’s green sheep program launched in 2009 to produce genetically modified lambs in order to contain a green fluorescent protein originating from a jellyfish.

When exposed to certain ultraviolet light, the proteins make the skin transparent and give off a greenish glow. They are used to monitor the activity of altered genes.

However, the lamb in this case was being researched to find out whether grafted cells could stop a myocardial infarction, or a heart attack.

Rubis was reportedly sold to an abattoir in November 2014 along by a customer who has not been identified to date. After Rubis entered the food chain in France, it plunged Europe’s top agricultural research institute into crisis as the sale and consumption of any genetically modified food products for humans is illegal in France.

France bars sale of any product consisting of genetically modified organisms or containing such organisms.

According to INRA, although the lamb’s mother had been modified, the proteins never worked in the lamb. Gérard Pascal, a former Inra biochemist, said that Rubis contained a gene posing no or negligible risk to humans.

He said, “Beyond the ethical issues, one cannot put foodstuffs into the market that haven’t been the subject of deep research. Until they’ve been studied, one cannot assess the risk”.