GM Poultry Feed

Tesco’s, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and the Co-op have all announced they are to start permitting GM feed in poultry rations.  Asda and Morrisons already permit GM feed for their poultry products; Waitrose is now the only big retailer to continue with the ban.  According to the retailers they have been ‘forced’ down this route.  The availability of non-GM soya has reduced significantly in recent years  – 80% of the world’s soya is now GM and due to the processing and transporting of the product it is very difficult to claim non-GM doesn’t contain low levels of GM.  However this claim has been disputed by the Soil Association which claims there is enough GM free animal feed in Brazil alone to supply the whole of Europe.  A view also echoed by the heads of the Brazilian association of Non-GMO grains.