Consumers misled over GM claims

7 February 2001



Consumers ‘misled’ over GM claims

By Alistair Driver

CONSUMERS are being misled by retailers who claim they only source livestock fed on non-genetically modified crops, a farmers leader has claimed.

Jonathan Pettit, inputs adviser the National Farmers Union, said not enough guaranteed non-GM soya was available to satisfy claims made by supermarkets.

Tesco, Asda and Marks & Spencer have all claimed recently that meat and egg products they sell are from animals reared on GM-free feed.

But farmers cannot satisfy the demand for non-GM fed animals, not because they do not want to, but because the product is not available, said Mr Pettit.

Only four mills in Brazil supply soya that comes with sufficient guarantees it is non-GM to satisfy the requirements of the UK supermarkets, he added.

“They produce 600,000 tonnes a year and this has already been sold,” Mr Pettit told the NFU annual conference in London on Tuesday (6 February).

Other global suppliers could not guarantee GM-free soya was not contaminated with GM material, Mr Pettit told delegates at a farmers forum.

Retailers should reconsider plans and wait for the result of a joint survey by the NFU and Sainsburys which aims to reveal the true cost of sourcing non-GM feed.

• Grampian feed goes GM-free, FWi, 05 February, 2001
• GM-free feed will cost farmers, FWi, 26 January, 2001
• Supermarkets begin moves to GM-free rations, FWi, 07 January, 2000