Natural Resources

Ask supermarkets to stay GM free
2 June 2010

ASDA is planning to go back on their efforts to use GM-free animal feed in their poultry meat and eggs.

This is a major step backwards in the fight to keep our food and feed GM free.

And the big risk is that other supermarkets will follow suit.

Only a massive consumer backlash will stop retailers weakening further on GM products.

ASDA look set to accept GM feed for their poultry meat and eggs.

Instead of keeping food and feed GM free they - and other supermarkets - are signing up to the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS).

The RTRS is a scheme that certifies soy for animal feed as sustainable. But the scheme is extremely weak.

Plantations in South America growing soy for UK factory farms cause massive deforestation and displacement of communities.

The RTRS does nothing to prevent this.

Supermarkets must not hide behind the RTRS - a scheme that greenwashes factory farming and large-scale soy plantations.

Currently no GM crops are grown in the European Union for human consumption.

But GM animal feed provides back-door entry for GM products into the EU.

Worse still the current rules say meat and dairy products from animals fed on GM animal feed do not need to be labelled as GM.

Previous pressure from consumers has made supermarkets take some steps to source GM-free animal feed.

And until now poultry meat and eggs were holding firm against the tide of GM animal feed.

This is now under threat.