Inaction on GM grains puts EU livestock industry in peril

The entire EU livestock industry will face a "meltdown" if no action is taken to deal with the issue of genetically modified (GM) crop products, warned Pedro Correa de Barros, president of FEFAC, the European Feed Manufacturers Federation last month.

Livestock farmers are facing a huge competitive disadvantage because of restrictions surrounding the use of GM feeds, de Barros said during the Agra Informa World Poultry 2009 conference in London.

de Barros believed the EU feed and food industry is facing a serious potential shortage of soy products if there were no approval for applications and processing of GM varieties.

He also called for a legal recognition of the widespread presence of risk-assessed GM plant products at low levels, and the establishment of a workable threshold.

In the UK, the self-imposed ban by supermarkets on stocking GM-fed poultry was even more acutely affecting the industry here, according to Peter Bradnock, chief executive of the British Poultry Council. There was a danger that the whole UK poultry industry could be exported to those countries where GM feeds were permitted. GM-free rations were typically costing UK producers GBP30 more than GM, a premium that was likely to rise as they became increasingly short.

 Even though GM-free soy would still be available at a premium, it is likely that contamination of the supply chain with GM material in the future would raise it above the accepted threshold.

The soy market worldwide remains volatile and demand for both GM and non-GM soy remains strong. Prices have been rising again since March due to drought in South America and concerns about US stock levels. The US price for GM soy has risen by US$100/tonne (GBP63) since March to nearly US$450 (GBP282).