January 29, 2009

The use of genetically modified ingredients in stockfeed likely will continue to increase, but there is little evidence consumers - who generally have low awareness of the use of GM products - are worried by this, according to an official Australian study issued Thursday (January 29).

 

In Australia, domestically sourced GM cottonseed meal and imported GM soy and canola make up a minor but growing proportion of the ingredients used in some stockfeed mixes, according to the study entitled "GM Stockfeed in Australia; Economic Issues for Producers and Consumers" prepared by the government's Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

 

In total, it is estimated that 487,200 tonnes of GM oilseeds and meal were used in animal feed in Australia in fiscal 2006-07, about 5 percent of the total grain and oilseed products used in animal feed by weight in that year, Abare said.

 

In the future, domestically sourced GM canola meal will also form part of stockfeed mixes following liberalization by some state governments of its production, said Abare.

 

Abare Executive Director Phillip Glyde said the increasing adoption of GM crops has led to a greater presence in stockfeed mixes in Australia and overseas.

 

"There is little evidence of consumers in Australia and Australia's major export markets rejecting meat, egg and dairy products from animals fed stockfeed containing GM ingredients," Glyde said in a statement issued with the study.

 

"However, consumer awareness of the current use of GM ingredients in stockfeed appears to be low," he added.

 

While the few studies conducted on consumer acceptance in Australia and the US indicate some consumer aversion to consuming products from animals fed GM feed, there is no evidence to suggest this is lowering demand, he said.

 

Australia is a major global supplier of beef, sheepmeat and dairy products, some of which is produced using GM ingredients.

 

"There are no mandatory labelling requirements or market access restrictions for meat, egg and dairy products from animals fed stockfeed containing GM ingredients either here or in our major export markets," Glyde said.

 

This is also the case in the EU, which is regarded as having some of the strictest regulations on GM organisms, he said.

 

Globally, the uptake of GM crops by farmers has been rapid since first introduced in 1996, with the area planted to GM crops reaching 114 million hectares in 2007, driven by the yield and production-cost advantages GM crops offer, Abare reported.

 

The chicken, meat and egg industries are the most likely to include GM ingredients in their feed because of a high reliance on protein meals such as imported soymeal and canola meal, it said.

 

Given current GM regulations and degrees of consumer acceptance and awareness in Australia and its major livestock product export markets, it seems unlikely Australian livestock producers who use GM feed will be disadvantaged, the study found.

 

More livestock industries might increase their intake of GM stockfeed in the future as more varieties of GM crops are developed and commercialized, it said.