August 10, 2009

Farming unions in the European Union have written to ministers at Westminster and Holyrood urging to press the European Commission to relax its zero tolerance regulations on unapproved genetically-modified crops found in imported animal feeds.

The unions see the policy as a distortion for soy and corn prices through reducing available supplies as any shipment found to contain GM material deemed illegal in the EU is rejected and sent back to the port of origin.

The National Farming Union in Scotland England and Wales, the National Pig Association and the Ulster Farmers' Union made the plea to ministers.

Scottish union vice-president Allan Bowie said a "practical solution to the issue of low-level GM presence in feed imported into the EU must be found if livestock producers are to be spared from seeing their tightening margins eroded by animal feed costs that have been inflated by dithering in Europe".

Demanding zero tolerance levels of non-approved GM crops in imported animal feed is unjustifiable on scientific and food safety grounds and is symptomatic of Europe's muddied approach to the whole GM debate, he said.

Although tolerance levels have been on the European agenda for several years, Bowie said the representatives "need to break the political deadlock, move this forward, and stop the unscientific policy-making that characterises GM regulation in Europe."

Having important shipments of animal feed rejected at European ports because of trace levels of non-EU approved GM varieties was heavy handed and placed a huge financial burden on those who need to buy such feed supplies for their animals, Bowie added.

The irony in the EU rules is that while the crops are banned there is no restriction on meat imported from animals fed on the unapproved GM material.