animal feed

Five Greenpeace volunteers were arrested at 1am this morning (Saturday) after successfully occupying the bulk carrier 'Ioclos Grace' for seventeen hours. The vessel carrying 60,000 tonnes of GM soya owned by US grain exporter Cargill, is bound for a processing mill at Gladstone Docks, Liverpool. The ship is currently anchored off the north coast of Wales.

Police used bolt cutters to remove three of the volunteers who had barricaded themselves into the anchor chain locker. The five volunteers, all from the UK are Kate Davison, Richard Watson, Al Baker, Amber Whitehouse and Andy Broadley.

Greenpeace today, successfully intercepted and is still occupying after 12 hours, the bulk carrier 'Iolcos Grace', which is carrying up to sixty thousand tonnes of genetically modified soya into Britain.

US grain exporter Cargill, who owns the cargo has said today that "genetically modified soyabeans are fully regulated and have been approved for safe use in food and feed in the UK and the rest of the EU since 1996."

At 7.40am, Greenpeace successfully intercepted the bulk carrier Iolcos Grace believed to be carrying up to sixty thousand tonnes of genetically modified soya into Britain. The vessel was boarded by Greenpeace volunteers off the coast of Anglesey in North Wales. Six Greenpeace volunteers are still in position on the vessel, preventing further movement, while the organisation attempts to persuade the owners of the cargo - the US agribusiness giant Cargill - to return the GM soya to the United States.

The action by Greenpeace is part of a campaign to prevent genetically modified crops from being imported into the UK. The GM soya will mostly be used for animal feed, which will end up in meat and dairy products for human consumption. The recent agreement of the Biosafety Protocol in Montreal last month means that governments can now refuse to accept imports of GM crops on the basis of the 'precautionary principle'. Greenpeace calls for an end to GM imports because of uncertainties over the effects of GM materials on human health and the environment.

The action by Greenpeace is part of a campaign to prevent genetically modified crops from being imported into the UK. The GM soya will mostly be used for animal feed, which will end up in meat and dairy products for human consumption. The recent agreement of the Biosafety Protocol in Montreal last month means that governments can now refuse to accept imports of GM crops on the basis of the 'precautionary principle'. Greenpeace calls for an end to GM imports because of uncertainties over the effects of GM materials on human health and the environment.

Major supermarket chains in the UK are already going GM-free and rejecting animal products fed on GM crops. This week Iceland announced that it would be selling only GM-free animal products from September 1 s t . Other supermarkets like Tesco have also announced their intention remove GM animal feed from their products. Yesterday Carrefour, the second largest supermarket chain in the world, also announced that it is excluding GM animal feed from all its meat products in response to customer concerns.

Greenpeace today welcomed the announcement by Iceland that from this September it will be the first UK supermarket to ban meat that has been fed on genetically modified soya from its stores.

In an unusual step Iceland has directly purchased 6,000 tonnes of non-GM soya to provide a non contaminated source for its suppliers, who were facing problems purchasing non-GM animal feed. Iceland is also offering to supply the soya to other retailers, food producers and farmers.

Greenpeace Campaign Director John Sauven said, "This is excellent news for consumers. The race is now firmly on within the food industry to get rid of the largest source of GM pollution in the UK, the 2 million tons of GM soya & maize imported each year for use as animal feed."

During a recent Greenpeace survey of UK supermarkets' policies on GM foods, food giants ALDI, Co-op, Tesco and Marks & Spencer, all indicated to Greenpeace that they aim to eliminate the use of GM crops from animal feed, so that meat and animal products such as eggs and cheese will be truly GM free.

31 January 2000 - The consumer revolt against genetically modified foods claimed another success today as Sun Valley, Britain's largest chicken producer, admitted that it has banned the use of GM Soya in its chickenfeed in response to public demand.

"This is a really significant victory for consumers, as up until now Sun Valley has been one of the main users of Monsanto's GM soya here in Europe" said Jim Thomas, Greenpeace Food Campaigner (1).

A new survey of British supermarkets by Greenpeace has revealed that major food retailers are rushing to source meat, eggs and dairy products from non-GM fed animals to counter widespread customer concern.

Tesco, the largest food retailer in the UK with an annual food turnover of £3,678 million, has already written to major international animal feed suppliers, Cargill and Archer Daniel Midlands, informing them of their intention to obtain the "complete elimination of GM ingredients from animal feed".

A Greenpeace investigation, 'Smuggling GM in through the back door' has revealed a trail of GM contamination which leads from Monsanto's US laboratories to British consumers of McDonald's chicken McNuggets. The investigation also undermines the claims by many supermarkets, producers and fast food chains to be 'GM-free'.

Greenpeace today launched a major campaign to stop GMOs contaminating the food chain and the environment through the 'back door' as animal feed. The True Feed campaign began with a national newspaper advertising campaign featuring chickens fed on GM animal feed. Tens of thousands of shoppers across Britain are also being given information cards alerting them to this new source of GM contamination, and asking them to call supermarkets, chicken producers and fast food carelines.