Ministers call for GM animal feed labelling29 January 2001
The Austrian and Italian agriculture ministers have called for the immediate labelling of GM animal feed when they met in Brussels to discuss the BSE situation. Since the banning of meat and bone meal in the wake of Europe's BSE crisis, imports of animal feed crops such as soya and maize from the US are expected to increase. Much of this may contain GM material. Friends of the Earth says farmers and consumers have a right to know what is being fed to animals, particularly in light of BSE. Labelling would allow them to avoid GM animal feed. An EU Novel Feed Regulation has been under discussion in the European Union for the past three years. In its White Paper on Food Safety, The European Commission promised to present a proposal by September 2000. But nothing happened then nor has it since, which means that unless emergency measures are taken, no legislation will be in place in member states until at least 2002.
"Labelling of GM feed has been postponed since at least 1997," pointed out Heike Moldenhauer, Genetech Expert at Global 2000 (Friends of the Earth Austria). The Agriculture Ministers should wake up and take consumers' concerns seriously. It's irresponsible to rush headlong towards the next agriculture scandal."
Gill Lacroix, Biotechnology Coordinator at Friends of the Earth Europe agreed: "A succession of feed crises have proved it's essential we know what's being fed to farm animals. EU citizens have made it clear they want to avoid GM food. Labelling will help them do this. One of the lessons of the BSE crisis is surely to provide more information about the food on our plates. Legislation mustn't be delayed any longer - we need GM feed labelling now."
Bo Normander, GMO Advisor at NOAH (Friends of the Earth Denmark), said: "Strict rules on labelling of GM animal feed should be applied in order for farmers - particularly organic farmers - to be able to avoid GM contamination. Labelling should appear clearly and contain information on how and why the product has been genetically altered."
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