|
|
German McDonald's Attacked for Biotech Chicken Feed (20 July - Cropchoice News) -- Anti-GMO groups have dramatically stepped up their campaigns aimed at convincing major food companies dump biotech. One effort is of a new kind. It is directed at German McDonalds and attacks biotech animal feed.
Yesterday, German Greenpeace activists dressed in bird suits launched a campaign against McDonald's chicken nuggets and sandwiches produced from broilers grown with GMO feed.
Biotech food has been effectively taken off the shelves in Germany because of consumer resistance. The campaign against biotech in animal feed, however, is a step in a new direction that may have impacts on US soybean exports and, to a lesser extent, corn. In 1999, Germany bought almost 6% of US soybean exports, over 1.3 million tons of beans. 80% went to animal feed in carnivorous Germany.
If activists are successful in turning feed companies against GMOs, in order to maintain the current market, the US will have to come up with more than a million tons of segregated non-GMO beans for Germany. If the US does not, Brazil may step in to fill the gap. According to a report by Pro Farmers today, Brazilian farmers are sitting on an unusually large number of beans waiting for prices to go up
Some European feed markets are already non-GMO. Cargill's UK poultry subsidiary switched to Brazilian soybean sources last year following the anti-biotech pandemonium in the UK.
Some Canadian and US IP bean companies have been anxiously eyeing the feed grade market. This might be their chance.
Source: Greenpeace - Germany, Pro Farmers, USDA |
