UK farming's reliance on imported GM feed to be highlighted

“The necessity for a functioning and reliable approvals system for GM feed imports has never been so clear", says the NFU
“The necessity for a functioning and reliable approvals system for GM feed imports has never been so clear", says the NFU

The NFU will be highlighting UK farming’s reliance on imported GM feed at the launch of a new cross-industry report on global supply chains ‘Going against the grain’ in Parliament this Thursday.

NFU head of policy Andrea Graham will address the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture on the importance of science-based regulations on GM is to domestic food production.

Dr Graham said to provide the right balance of nutrition for poultry and livestock production GM feed products, particularly soya beans, are vital.

And with 95 per cent of EU soya imported from North and South America, she added, protecting supply chains from the disruption of dysfunctional EU regulation is incredibly important.

Andrea Graham continued: “Feed is a significant proportion of farm production costs –55-65 per cent for the pig and poultry sectors. Any disruption to the trade flows of protein feed and resulting price rises, passed onto the farmers, puts significant strain on farm businesses and undermines competitiveness.

“The necessity for a functioning and reliable approvals system for GM feed imports has never been so clear.

“The NFU has played an active role in the Agricultural Biotechnology Council’s new report. It underlines the negative impacts of restricting trade of EU-approved GM products of the Single Market but also more widely on jobs, growth and innovation.

“The rules and regulations around GM in the EU must be firmly based on sound scientific evidence and not on national politics or perception. And farmers should have the choice to access authorised technologies available to their competitors around the world.”