European Union | GMO Policy Debate Shifting To Its Impact On Struggling Lives...

European Union

GMO Policy Debate Shifting To Its Impact On Struggling Livestock Sector

Due to serious issues affecting the European livestock sector, such as squeezed European Union (EU) producer margins caused by a spectacular upsurge in cereal prices since the start of the year, the European strategy toward genetically modified (GM) crops is being challenged by the livestock industry as well as grain and feedstuffs traders.

Traditionally, the EU has depended on the United States, Brazil and Argentina for its imports of soybeans, soybean meal and corn, but the legislation on GM crops in each of these countries differs from that in the EU.

As a consequence, trading companies are unwilling to bear the risk of guaranteeing no traces of unapproved genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in feed ingredient imports. In this context, and with growing demand for livestock feed in China, the EU’s primary suppliers, led by the United States, are sending increasing shares of their exports to countries that have compatible rules on GMOs other than the EU.

Some EU meat industry groups are now calling on the EU Commission to relax EU rules to help mitigate negative impacts on the EU livestock and agriculture production.

To read more about this issue, go to the latest USMEF Insight: European Union GMO Policy Debate (PDF).

European Union

GMO Policy Debate Shifting To Its Impact On Struggling Livestock Sector

Due to serious issues affecting the European livestock sector, such as squeezed European Union (EU) producer margins caused by a spectacular upsurge in cereal prices since the start of the year, the European strategy toward genetically modified (GM) crops is being challenged by the livestock industry as well as grain and feedstuffs traders.

Traditionally, the EU has depended on the United States, Brazil and Argentina for its imports of soybeans, soybean meal and corn, but the legislation on GM crops in each of these countries differs from that in the EU.

As a consequence, trading companies are unwilling to bear the risk of guaranteeing no traces of unapproved genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in feed ingredient imports. In this context, and with growing demand for livestock feed in China, the EU’s primary suppliers, led by the United States, are sending increasing shares of their exports to countries that have compatible rules on GMOs other than the EU.

Some EU meat industry groups are now calling on the EU Commission to relax EU rules to help mitigate negative impacts on the EU livestock and agriculture production.

To read more about this issue, go to the latest USMEF Insight: European Union GMO Policy Debate (PDF).