Will GM Restrictions Destroy EU Livestock Sector?

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Latest Pig Industry News

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

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Will GM Restrictions Destroy EU Livestock Sector?

EU - Soya supplies are critical to the European Union livestock industry and there are real dangers we will destroy the industry due to lack of raw material supplies, warns a report by a number of European feed organisations.

With soya beans supplies in Argentina and USA being 95-97 percent genetically modified and in Brazil heading for 80 percent genetically modified, there will quickly be unavoidable residues of GM varieties in the supply chain, says the report.

Europe’s zero tolerance of residues means shippers will not take the risk of importing soya.

Regarding the outlook for the marketing year 2008/2009, the report confirms earlier estimates that the European Union livestock industry could face a massive loss of competitiveness. As the European livestock production declines, imports will increase and ironically these will be of meat from animals that have been fed non-approved GM products.

Europe has to take a practical view and implement a workable threshold for GM events, and implement a speedier process for approvals for new GM varieties being grown elsewhere in the world, says the report