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No market for GM labelled food in Europe
In January 2005, Greenpeace published a detailed report showing that the EU market
for GM labelled food products is virtually closed. You can download this report as a large 2MB PDF file.
The report details Europe's top 30 retailers and top 30 food & drink producers which already had GM-free policies and commitments in late 2004. This reveals a massive international food industry rejection of GM ingredients. The companies listed cut across the industry from food and drink manufacturers to retailers, and include everything from snacks and ready meals to pet food and beer.
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The combined total food and drink sales of the 49 companies with a stated non-GM policy in their main market or throughout the EU (27 retailers and 22 food and drink producers) amounts to € 646 billion, more than 60% of the total € 1,069 billion European food and drink sales.
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Making money with non-GM farm and food produce
Irish exporters of livestock, meat, poultry and dairy produce should implement a non-GM policy without delay, since prime EU markets are rapidly closing to food products from animals whose diet still includes GM ingredients, and also to exports of live cattle on GM diet.
See our animal feed section for details.
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TLT International, based in Mulllingar, exports € 15 million worth of non-GM fed live cattle to prime markets in Italy, where the leading retailer, Coop Italia, has a GM-free food policy.
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In January 2006, Silver Pail Dairy in North Cork signed a multi-million Euro contract with the world's leading chain of ice-cream stores, Baskin-Robbins, to supply GM-free ice cream for the European market.
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The Kepak Group and the Kildare Chilling Company, are leading the way for non-GM fed beef exports.
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Call for Bord Bía and Féile Bía to embrace a GM-free Ireland policy
The use of GM animal feed is already causing Irish farmers and food producers to lose their share of the EU market for safe GM-free food. The Goverment's misguided policy to "ensure the coexistence" of GM crops will be the naill in the coffin for our nation's world famous green image as Ireland - the food island. The time has come for Bord Bía and Feile Bía to embrace a GM-free Ireland policy!
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Consumers International says NO to GMOs
On 15 March, World Consumer Rights Day 2005, consumer organisations around the world called for a ban on GM foods. The event was organised by Consumers International, representing over 250 organisations in 115 countries (including the Consumers' Association of Ireland). Member organisations lobbied governments, held public meetings and street demonstrations to demand GM-free food and secure GM-free areas with strict rules to prevent contamination of conventional and organic crops, and independent safety testing and safety guidelines for all foods containing or derived from GMOs.
www.consumersinternational.org.
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On 9 September 2005, Consumers International and the Government of the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna held a major international conference in Bologna, Italy , where they made an appeal to the EC for caution over contamination from genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Consumers International GM Campaign Manager David Cuming said: "Stop GMO contamination - it can happen quickly and over vast areas and is irreversible. In places, like Italy, where there are a lot of small farms with traditional and organic crops, 'co-existence' is probably impossible without removing the freedom of consumers and farmers to choose." David Cuming advised "All countries worldwide must introduce strict rules to prevent contamination, and allow for GM-free zones, before allowing GMOs in their countries. The EC must wait until they have completed the full review of "co-existence" in Europe before approving new GMO crops."
Prof. Ignacio Chapela, leading expert on GMOs told the conference "'Co-existence'" of GMOs and GM-free plants is biologically impossible. If we keep thinking like this it won't be a question of - if contamination will occur: It will be a question of when and how much? We do not have the political will, the technical capacity or the independence of thought to deal with 'co-existence'"; neither to monitor its development, nor to remedy its consequences. Proposed biosafety and bioethical frameworks will not prevent contamination." GMO and consumer experts from Canada, USA, Brazil, Thailand, Zambia, Austria, Italy and UK presented their position on "co-existence", contamination and GM-free zones at the conference in Bologna. Recent examples of GMO contamination cases are: oilseed rape fields in the USA, Canada and Australia, shipments of maize to Ireland Japan and New Zealand, and illegal rice in China. The conference proceedings are posted at www.consumersinternational.org.
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