EU lifts ban on GM feed
22 February 2011 | Updated: 25 February
2011 9:55 am | By Jack Davies
BRITISH farmers could soon be given
access to GM animal feed after the EU
voted to relax its zero-tolerance policy
to contaminated feed being imported into
Europe.
It marks a step-change in the EU’s
approach to GM, and comes following
warnings of feed shortages and inflated
prices, with importers increasingly wary
of shipments being turned away from
ports in the EU.
Europe currently imports around 80 per
cent of its animal feed, much of it from
GM growing countries in North and South
America.
At a meeting this week, the EU’s
Standing Committee on Food Chain and
Animal Health (SCoFCAH) agreed to allow
up to 0.1 per cent of non-EU approved GM
in feed imports.
Welcoming the decision, Scottish Liberal
Democrat MEP George Lyon said: “It
should help lower the costs of imported
soya for hard pressed livestock farmers
who are being hit by sharply rising feed
costs.
“Farmers in the UK import approximately
2.2 million tonnes of soya every year
and it is estimated by the industry that
the zero tolerance threshold on imports
was costing farmers an extra £50 per
tonne which they can ill afford at this
time.
“These changes should help put UK and
Scottish farmers in a more competitive
position and reduce costs once the
benefits feed through.”
The NFU said the move was ‘a step in the
right direction’ but warned more needed
to be done to make it easier for
importers.
NFU director of policy Martin Haworth
said: “The change only applies to the
presence of material for which EU import
licences have been applied, but not yet
approved.
“Increasingly companies are simply not
bothering to apply for licences in the
EU - particularly for maize - since the
process is long and costly and the major
markets are in Asia not Europe.”
Mr Haworth also highlighted a clause
which means imported GM will still have
to be given the green light by the
European Food Safety Authority, risking
more delays and potentially preventing
farmers taking full advantage of the
change in the rules.
The proposed change came in for heavy
criticism from the anti-GM lobby this
week, which warned it was the start of a
slippery slope opening Europe’s doors to
GM.
Pete Riley of campaign group GM Freeze
said: “EU member states have failed to
respect the wishes of their citizens-
the majority of whom remain opposed to
GM crops entering the food chain.
“Instead they have been swayed by the
hyperbole of industry into weakening the
GMO regulations.”
The new rules will now be placed before
the European Council and the Parliament
and are likely to come into force in
three months time if they both approve
the plans.
Readers' comments (6)
Jamie | 22 February 2011 6:46 pm
They are crazy. Today it's low level
tolerance, tomorrow it's EVERYWHERE!
Don't be puppets in this GMO game, come
on, wake up to the reality!
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this
comment
mudflap | 22 February 2011 8:07 pm
that'll be the reality that we can't
afford to feed our livestock!!
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this
comment
riversider | 25 February 2011 1:18 pm
They must be mad to let any GM
contaminated feed into the UK. Farmeres
lose out, livestock loses out, big
American Business gets rich. I shall not
be feeding any GM feed to my cattle.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this
comment
Beaky | 25 February 2011 2:21 pm
When human food prices are low, somebody
or something else pays the price.
Considering only 10% of people's income
nowadays goes on food (as opposed to 30%
some years ago), it really is about time
people understood that good food doesn't
come cheap. Give farmers a decent price
so that they can in turn give their
animals a decent quality of life - and
that includes proper non-GM feeds. There
will be no turning back once GM foods
get into the food chain.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this
comment
Newt | 25 February 2011 3:32 pm
Beaky is right.
We don't need cheaper feeds, we need a
fair price for our produce.
GM is only going to make a profit for
those who own the genotype. If they get
it right, they could end up owning the
whole crop. If they get it wrong we'll
all pay, because once a gene is in a
species it is going to be extremely
expensive to cull it out again and you
can bet that those responsible will
declare bankruptcy and run, leaving us
to foot the bill.
£50 a tonne for feed as opposed to
paying for all your livestock to be
slaughtered to stop a rogue gene getting
into the human food chain?
I'll pay the £50 a tonne, the only thing
is, once the genes are out there they
will affect us all, wether we fed GM
feed or not. Just like BSE. Didn't the
scientists say that bone meal was safe
too????
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this
comment
Anne Newstead | 25 February 2011 5:38 pm
I will not knowingly eat anything with
GM i n it. If that means no meat then so
be it. Another cross for the farmers to
bare. Give them a fair price for the
real thing.
22 February 2011 | Updated: 25 February
2011 9:55 am | By Jack Davies
BRITISH farmers could soon be given
access to GM animal feed after the EU
voted to relax its zero-tolerance policy
to contaminated feed being imported into
Europe.
It marks a step-change in the EU’s
approach to GM, and comes following
warnings of feed shortages and inflated
prices, with importers increasingly wary
of shipments being turned away from
ports in the EU.
Europe currently imports around 80 per
cent of its animal feed, much of it from
GM growing countries in North and South
America.
At a meeting this week, the EU’s
Standing Committee on Food Chain and
Animal Health (SCoFCAH) agreed to allow
up to 0.1 per cent of non-EU approved GM
in feed imports.
Welcoming the decision, Scottish Liberal
Democrat MEP George Lyon said: “It
should help lower the costs of imported
soya for hard pressed livestock farmers
who are being hit by sharply rising feed
costs.
“Farmers in the UK import approximately
2.2 million tonnes of soya every year
and it is estimated by the industry that
the zero tolerance threshold on imports
was costing farmers an extra £50 per
tonne which they can ill afford at this
time.
“These changes should help put UK and
Scottish farmers in a more competitive
position and reduce costs once the
benefits feed through.”
The NFU said the move was ‘a step in the
right direction’ but warned more needed
to be done to make it easier for
importers.
NFU director of policy Martin Haworth
said: “The change only applies to the
presence of material for which EU import
licences have been applied, but not yet
approved.
“Increasingly companies are simply not
bothering to apply for licences in the
EU - particularly for maize - since the
process is long and costly and the major
markets are in Asia not Europe.”
Mr Haworth also highlighted a clause
which means imported GM will still have
to be given the green light by the
European Food Safety Authority, risking
more delays and potentially preventing
farmers taking full advantage of the
change in the rules.
The proposed change came in for heavy
criticism from the anti-GM lobby this
week, which warned it was the start of a
slippery slope opening Europe’s doors to
GM.
Pete Riley of campaign group GM Freeze
said: “EU member states have failed to
respect the wishes of their citizens-
the majority of whom remain opposed to
GM crops entering the food chain.
“Instead they have been swayed by the
hyperbole of industry into weakening the
GMO regulations.”
The new rules will now be placed before
the European Council and the Parliament
and are likely to come into force in
three months time if they both approve
the plans.
Readers' comments (6)
Jamie | 22 February 2011 6:46 pm
They are crazy. Today it's low level
tolerance, tomorrow it's EVERYWHERE!
Don't be puppets in this GMO game, come
on, wake up to the reality!
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this
comment
mudflap | 22 February 2011 8:07 pm
that'll be the reality that we can't
afford to feed our livestock!!
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this
comment
riversider | 25 February 2011 1:18 pm
They must be mad to let any GM
contaminated feed into the UK. Farmeres
lose out, livestock loses out, big
American Business gets rich. I shall not
be feeding any GM feed to my cattle.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this
comment
Beaky | 25 February 2011 2:21 pm
When human food prices are low, somebody
or something else pays the price.
Considering only 10% of people's income
nowadays goes on food (as opposed to 30%
some years ago), it really is about time
people understood that good food doesn't
come cheap. Give farmers a decent price
so that they can in turn give their
animals a decent quality of life - and
that includes proper non-GM feeds. There
will be no turning back once GM foods
get into the food chain.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this
comment
Newt | 25 February 2011 3:32 pm
Beaky is right.
We don't need cheaper feeds, we need a
fair price for our produce.
GM is only going to make a profit for
those who own the genotype. If they get
it right, they could end up owning the
whole crop. If they get it wrong we'll
all pay, because once a gene is in a
species it is going to be extremely
expensive to cull it out again and you
can bet that those responsible will
declare bankruptcy and run, leaving us
to foot the bill.
£50 a tonne for feed as opposed to
paying for all your livestock to be
slaughtered to stop a rogue gene getting
into the human food chain?
I'll pay the £50 a tonne, the only thing
is, once the genes are out there they
will affect us all, wether we fed GM
feed or not. Just like BSE. Didn't the
scientists say that bone meal was safe
too????
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this
comment
Anne Newstead | 25 February 2011 5:38 pm
I will not knowingly eat anything with
GM i n it. If that means no meat then so
be it. Another cross for the farmers to
bare. Give them a fair price for the
real thing.
Comment