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You are in GM Crops and Food → GM crops: regulation → Unauthorised GM crops

Unauthorised GM crops

GM soya and maize currently enters Europe, including the UK, mainly for use in animal feed.

On 22nd February 2011, experts from EU member states voted to weaken GMO rules to allow contamination of animal feed with GMOs that have not been given any safety approval in Europe. The vote followed heavy lobbying by the GM industry. The Regulation was finally adopted by the EU on 24th June.

The Regulation ends the EU's 'zero tolerance' policy on non-authorised genetically modified (GM) material in feed. It allows unauthorised GM crops to be present at a level of 0.1%. It covers GM feed material authorised for commercialisation in a third country and for which an authorisation procedure is pending in the EU or for which the EU authorisation has expired. This could include a wide variety of crops engineered for industrial rather than food use (for example, for use in biofuels) or to be resistant to multiple herbicides.

The industry is lobbying for similar threshold for food imports. This is part of the discussions on trade issues between the US and the EU, and between Canada and the EU.

Resources

• Press articles
  • Embassy: MacAulay: Ag growth rooted in sound science (24th February 2016)

  • The Poultry Site: EU Feed Industry Raises Concern over Low-Level GMOs (27th December 2013)

  • VICE: Canada Wants the World to Relax its GMO Standards (6th February 2014)

  • AllAboutFeed.net: EU feed production stable, but with interspecies shifts (30th December 2011)

  • Reuters: GMO fears halt EU import of U.S. corn gluten feed (21st December 2011)

  • Reuters: EU allows unapproved GM material in feed imports (24th June 2011)

  • The Telegraph: Unauthorised GM crops could be allowed in British food chain for the first time after EU vote (23rd February 2011)

  • Reuters: EU experts approve trace GM in feed imports: official

  • Wall Street Journal: EU to Vote on Admitting GM Food (22nd February 2011)

  • AFP: EU agrees to allow traces of GM crops in EU animal feed (22nd February 2011)

  • The Daily Mail: GM in your cornflakes? Food fears as U.S. approve new genetically engineered maize (21st February 2011)

  • The Guardian: The UK needs a labelling scheme for GM-free meat products (Caroline Lucas MP)

  • The Observer: GM crops to be allowed into Britain under controversial EU plans (6th February 2011)

  • Financial Times: Fresh fight looms over Europe GM crops (24th June 2008)

• External links
  • FEFAC: EU Food and Feed Chain coalition welcomes EU's commitment to work on low level presence of genetically modified crops (December 2013)

  • EU: Questions and answers on the low level presence (LLP) of GMOs in feed imports (24th June 2011)

  • Friends of the Earth Europe Report: No link between animal feed crisis and EU zero tolerance policy (May 2010)

  • Friends of the Earth Europe Press Release: Europe's biotech industry accused of modifying the truth (4th May 2010)

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Resources

• Press articles
• External links