June 15, 2015

Feed manufacturers slam EC on GMO use proposal anew

The recent Public General Assembly of the European Feed Manufacturers' Federation (Fefac) became another opportunity to criticise the European Commission's proposal allowing EU member states to restrict or prohibit the use of EU-authorised genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food or feed on their territory.

In his opening speech at the assembly, held in Cologne, Germany, on June 10 and which had for its theme "Securing the future of EU livestock industry and feed production", Fefac president Ruud Tijssens rejected the EC's proposal, saying it would compromise vital market access of the EU livestock sector to protein-rich feed ingredients.

The proposal came in the heels of a new law that became effective in April, which grants national governments this same power to ban the cultivation of GM crops within their territories even if they may have been approved by the law-making body. 

Jean-Michel Aspar, chair of the feed, food and environment section of the cereals industry group Coceral, also criticised the move to create new import barriers for feed ingredients in markets where the EU is highly dependent.

The president of the International Meat Secretariat, Guillaume Roué, said the feed supply chain issues surrounding the acceptance of GMOs and processed animal protein have to be resolved. 

Roué also noted the weakened competitiveness of the European pig farming sector, as feed costs have been steadily increasing over the past decade, while EU meat exporters are struggling to capture new markets because of the Russian embargo.

In February, Fefac, Coceral and the oilseed crushers' association Fediol denounced the EC for its "de facto" moratorium on genetically modified import authorisations, and called for its lifting.

The groups had claimed that the EU authorisation system for GMO imports has been on hold since November 2013 due to "merely political considerations".

Enrico Brivio, EC spokesman on health and food safety, told eFeedLink through e-mail on Feb. 26 that the GMO authorisation process, including for food and feed, was undergoing a review, whose result, he said, was expected to be released in spring.