Controls on livestock feed after GM scare

IMPORTERS and farmers using the 50 million tonnes of livestock feed per year which the EU imports from the US had a narrow escape when the European Commission recently banned contaminated corn gluten and brewers grains.

Many politicians and environmentalists called for a complete ban on US feed imports, but the Commission ruled that imports of both commodities from the US will now be permitted only if accompanied by an analytical report from an accredited laboratory, which unequivocally guarantees they do not include Bt10 genetically modified maize.

As a result, livestock farmers in the EU may face higher prices for these feeds, to cover the extra costs of importers of ensuring that feeds are certified free of Bt10.