Feed associations critical of EU Commission’s decision
COCERAL, FEDIOL and FEFAC have expressed serious disappointment about the European Commission’s lack of consideration for the consequences for the EU food and feed business operators of having further delayed the EU authorisation of 8 GM products (1) for import, food and feed processing.
This postponement by the college of EU Commissioners leaves the EU food and feed business operators exposed to possible risk of disruptions of the vital imports of soybeans, maize and various protein-rich products derived thereof from the key exporting regions to the EU as well as serious legal uncertainty.
In order to not further threaten the much needed supply to the EU, a decision needs to be taken by beginning of September 2014, before the 2014 autumn harvest will be made available in the key exporting regions to the EU and before risk of non-compliance will increase even further.
The EU depends for 75% of its needs for protein-rich ingredients for feeding purpose on the global world markets. Some of these GM products, maize, soy and rapeseed are already commercialised abroad, others will be harvested and made available in the key exporting regions to the EU as from autumn 2014.
Additional delays in the EU authorisation process may, therefore, lead to significant shortage and trade disruptions due to unavoidable presence of these GM events in our supplies of both GM and non-GM material. This would trigger further uncertainty on import flows, supply chain disruptions and price hikes for basic food products and major feed ingredients as well as undermine the competitiveness of the EU food, feed and livestock sectors.
The 8 GM products have been deemed safe by the European Food Safety Authority (ESFA) and have reached the final stage of the risk management process. The decisions for the related EU import authorisations lay in the hands of the EU Commission: some of them are awaited since the end of 2013.
footnote:
(1) Maize MON 87460, Rapeseed GT 73, Soybean 305423, Soybean MON87708, Soybean MON87705, Soybean BPS-CV127-9, Maize T25 and Cotton T304-40
COCERAL is the European association of cereals, rice, feedstuffs oilseeds, olive oil, oils and fats and Agrosupply trade.
FEDIOL, the EU vegetable oil and proteinmeal industry association, represents the interests of the European seed and bean crushers, meal producers, vegetable oils producers, refiners and bottlers.
FEFAC is the European Compound Feed Manufacturers’ Federation.
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