European hypocrisy over GMOs

Europe’s zero tolerance stance on GMOs prohibit any feed exports to the EU that contain traces of unauthorised GMO but pigs and poultry that have been fed on the same unauthorised feed can freely enter the European food market for consumption.

European debate is also raging over the elongated authorisation system for new GMOs.

The approval process in the EU can take anything from 3 to 10 years and is often dragged out by member states (such as Italy and Greece) that want to maintain 100 per cent GMO free.

The US, by contrast, take around a year to permit new GMOs and this time difference has strangled imports and sent EU feed prices sky high. EU figures show the current price differential between GMO and non-GMO feed to be around £50 per ton.

“We are cutting off our noses to spite our faces,” said the chairman of the European Parliament agriculture committee, Neil Parish. “These issues deny our farmers access to cheap feed whilst doing nothing to address the concerns consumers have with regards to GMOs.”

Pig and poultry farmers have a high dependency on protein rich feed imports like soyabean meal and corn gluten feed but concern is growing that exporting countries could cut off supplies to Europe altogether.

Top exporters Argentina, Brazil and the US are growing increasing amounts of non-EU approved varieties for Europe’s competitors. Where production facilities are shared, these countries are also finding it more difficult to guarantee 100 per cent GMO free exports to the EU.

An incident where non-EU approved maize arrived from the United States in 2006 cut US maize imports by around 25 per cent that year, said the NFU.

As a result of strict EU rules, experts are concerned that the relative importance of the Chinese market will grow in direct proportion to the shrinking EU market.

“Feed prices are already high and it would be disastrous for UK and EU pig production if feed imports fell further,” said British Pig Executive chairman Stewart Houston, adding: “Worryingly we could run out of soya feed by 2009.”

British poultry farmers would pay £12 per ton less on feed if GM soya was available to the industry, said NFU poultry board chairman, Charles Bourns.

“If we want to keep producing poultry in the EU then we need to use GM soya. Otherwise the paradox is that we will import more chicken that has been fed on GM soya” he said.

Next week Mr Parish will ask the European Commission to replace zero tolerance on unauthorised GMO traces with a lower limit and to speed up the GMO approval process or risk the destruction of EU pig and poultry industries.

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