Meat prices may soar in GM food row
David Brown / Telegraph (London) 26jan01
CONSUMERS could face shortages of British meat if supermarkets insist that livestock must be fed on rations free of genetically modified ingredients, farmers' leaders said yesterday.
The National Farmers' Union of England and Wales said: "We are deeply concerned that the current intentions of several supermarkets will disrupt the supply of British meat, not just to those stores but to all retailers and caterers." It called on Nick Brown, the Agriculture Minister, to hold a meeting of producers, processors and retailers to discuss the problem.
The union warned that the price of meat could soar, due to the expense of GM-free rations, and challenged supermarkets to make legally binding agreements with farmers that they would absorb the "substantial" extra costs. The move came after Marks & Spencer said that none of the food sold in its stores came from animals fed on GM rations. This included beef, lamb, pork, chicken and salmon.
David Gregory, head of technology at Marks & Spencer, said: "We've worked in partnership with our farmers, feed suppliers and processors to achieve this." The NFU dismissed fears over GM ingredients and said there was no evidence to suggest any risks to consumers. All GM material was broken down naturally when eaten by farm animals, it claimed.
In a statement the union said: "It is one thing for the retailers to offer consumers choice by developing lines of meat and meat products produced from animals fed without any use of GM feeds. It is quite another for them to require all meat products to come from animals not fed with GM feeds. This will be expensive if it is possible. Supplies of guaranteed GM-free feed ingredients are limited and a sudden increase in demand can only lead to higher costs for farmers."
Other supermarkets, including Tesco, have been persuading suppliers to phase out GM ingredients in animal rations.
source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=004230638848913&rtmo=3SqrAqwM&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/et/01/1/26/nmeat26.html 26jan01
Marks & Spencer bans GM food in its store
David Brown / Telegraph (London) 16mar99
MARKS & SPENCER banned all genetically modified food from its shelves yesterday - the first mainstream high street store to impose a blanket embargo on the new technology.
The decision was immediately welcomed by environmentalists and put pressure on the Government to delay the introduction of commercial GM crops. But rival chains branded the move a "publicity stunt" and said M & S would find it impossible to guarantee that all its food was GM free.
M & S, which has 286 food stores and a food sales turnover of £2.7 billion a year, said it hoped to remove all GM ingredients from St Michael branded products within three months. A statement said: "As all food sold in Marks & Spencer stores is 100 per cent own-brand, we will be the only major retailer where customers can purchase any product with full confidence that no GM ingredients or their derivatives have been used."
The company said it was still confident about the safety of genetically modified foods but added: "Customers are concerned about the speed at which these developments are being pushed through."
The move came after Michael Meacher, the environment minister, denied that the Government had made a "secret deal" for a voluntary three-year moratorium on commercial planting of GM crops.
But he admitted that talks were under way on how field-scale trials of GM crops should be conducted. The first trials, on oilseed rape, sugar beet and maize for cattle food, are expected in a few weeks. It was possible, Mr Meacher said, that the first commercial GM crops would be planted next spring. But, if the Government felt more time was needed for tests "we would go back to the industry and seek to negotiate an extension".
Tesco bars crops from fields used in GM tests
David Brown / The Telegraph (London) 7jan01
TESCO has warned farmers that it will not accept any fruit and vegetables grown in fields used to test genetically modified crops.Britain's largest supermarket chain said yesterday that the ban was in response to fears among customers and some scientists that traces of GM material could linger on the land and contaminate non-GM crops subsequently grown there.
The move, which could hit the future value of farmland on 60 sites earmarked for forthcoming Government trials of GM oilseed rape and maize, was welcomed by environmentalists but attacked by farmers' leaders. Rival retail chains dismissed it as "a stunt".
Tesco, which is phasing out GM ingredients from its own-label food range, said it would hold consultations to determine the length of time GM experimental fields should be kept out of commercial crop production.
News of the Tesco move was broken by Lord Melchett, the executive director of Greenpeace, at the Oxford farming conference where he urged producers to switch to organic farming instead of continuing with "industrialised" forms of agriculture.
Tesco said that it was responding to inquiries from suppliers who wanted to clarify where they stood. While no Tesco suppliers had so far taken part in GM crop trials, the instruction was aimed at future practice. "We are not saying you cannot get involved in a government trial if you supply Tesco," the company said. "We are saying that you cannot plant a Tesco crop in the same field, which to us is common sense."
The Cabinet Office dismissed the move as a "marketing ploy" and said there was no scientific basis for the restriction.
The National Farmers' Union of England and Wales said: "There is no scientific basis for Tesco to demand this. We are extremely concerned about the logistical and financial implications for farmers involved in GM trials. We are urgently seeking clarification from Tesco about how long these restrictions would apply to land used for GM trials."
Marks and Spencer, which has already removed GM ingredients from all of its food products in response to customer demand, said last night that it saw "no benefit" from banning crops in future from land used for GM trials.
Sainsbury and Safeway both said last night that they would not be adopting the Tesco stance.
|
If you have come to this page from an outside location click here to get back to mindfully.org |
