Feed companies breach EU law

29 January 1999

Feed companies breach EU law

By FWi staff

UK feed companies are breaching European law by using genetically modified ingredients without telling farmers.

An investigation into GM organisms by Worcestershire trading standards officers found that one out of three animal feed samples tested contained GM soya or maize.

The animal feed supplier was unaware that it feed contained GM ingredients and has now changed its supplies to non-GM material.

The analysis, by Worcester Scientific Services, also found that two out of six food ingredients contained GM ingredients, as did two out of 15 foods on retail sale.

More than 150 samples for other local authorities found a third contained modified DNA.

Only one such sample was properly labelled and most companies said they could not tell which foodstuffs contained the ingredients.

European Union regulations which came into force last September require certain specified GM soya and maize products to be compulsorily labelled.

The regulations are yet to be enacted in the UK which only requires processed foods to have a name which will to inform the purchaser of its true nature.

It is uncertain under this legislation whether the non-declaration of genetically modified foods constitutes a UK offence.