PA News | December 20, 1999, Amanda Brown, Environment Correspondent, PA News
A UK Greenpeace survey released today and cited in this story says that major UK supermarkets are rushing to make sure their meat, eggs and dairy products come from animals fed on foods which have not been genetically modified so as to counter widespread customer concern.
The story says that Tesco, the largest food retailer in the UK, with an annual food turnover of 13,678 million, has already written to the big international animal feed supplier, Cargill and Archer Daniel Midlands, telling it of its intention to obtain the "complete elimination of GM ingredients from animal feed".
Greenpeace was cited as saying that although imports of GM soya and maize into Europe had fallen because of widespread customer resistance, huge quantities of GM crops were still shipped in to feed animals.
In 1998, 6.5 million metric tonnes of soya animal feed The decision by major food stores to insist on animal products from non-GM sources will have a major impact on agriculture in the US, Canada and Argentina, the major GM crop-growing countries, but should bring good news to GM-free farmers in Brazil and Europe.
Greenpeace campaign director John Sauven was quoted as saying, "British supermarkets are racing to rid themselves of the last vestiges of GM contamination as a result of direct consumer pressure. GM animal feed has become a key target in the battle against genetic contamination in Europe.
Farmers in the US and Canada should switch to non-GM crops before their multi-billion dollar international market evaporates."
The supermarket chain Iceland has stated that the ban on genetically modified ingredients in the feed given to its whole range of fresh and poultry will take effect from February 2000.
Iceland, which is second to Tesco in poultry sales, predicts its switch to non-GM animal feed will ensure non-GM supplies across Europe.
The Sainsbury's supermarket chain was quoted as saying, "it was inevitable that we should turn our attention to the presence of GM constituents in animal feedstuffs".
The Greenpeace survey was based on correspondence and telephone calls with all of the UK's major food retailers during October, November and December 1999.
Full results are available from Greenpeace with copies of all correspondence.
