GM animal feed: Sneaking GM into the food chain

Over half the soya and a quarter of the maize grown in the United States is genetically modified (GM). While some of the crops are destined for human consumption, the majority are fed to the animals that provide our meat and dairy products. In fact, around 90% of world soya bean production is used for animal feed.

The US soya and maize industry has previously claimed that it is impossible to segregate GM and non-GM crops before they are exported. This led the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Fisheries (MAFF) to state that, 'a substantial proportion' of the soya and maize imported to the UK 'could contain material derived from unsegregated GM varieties'.