Ireland on Line http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=158564776&p=y5856548z Warning over genetically-modified animal feed 09 October 2005 - 15:05:00 Anti-GM campaigners are waging a battle to keep a newly-approved, genetically-modified animal feed, which they warn is a huge threat to the environment and farmers, out of Ireland. Protesters claim the new oilseed rape feed, which is the first live genetically modified seed to be introduced into the country, will inevitably escape into the wider environment and contaminate crops. Farming groups have warned that a failure to keep Ireland’s crops GM-free will be ‘economic suicide’ for the Irish farmers, with European consumers avoiding products containing the modified foodstuffs. Last month, EU commissioners approved food giant Monsanto’s GT73 oilseed rape for use as animal feed in Europe. The move followed a Council of Ministers meeting last December, which despite objections from a number of countries, did not reject the Commission’s proposal to introduce the feed because of qualified majority procedures. Minister for the Environment Dick Roche, who was one of several ministers who abstained in the vote, said in January his abstention was in line with the long-standing positive but precautionary approach to modern biotechnology by successive Governments in Ireland. He also said he had received a favourable opinion of the product from the Environmental Protection Agency But the GM-Free Ireland Network has launched an emergency campaign to stop the feedstuff’ introduction, which it claims could contaminate existing crops, ruin organic farming and violate property rights. The network’s chairman Michael O’Callaghan said: “The concern is although it was legalised as animal feed, it’s the first time that any animal feed consists of live genetically modified organisms. “If a ship arrives in any port with this cargo, inevitably seeds will spill because they’re very small, and it would become a crop.” He said if the seeds were to sprout, oil seed rape crops and wild varieties within 26 km – and possibly much further afield – would be contaminated. There was also the additional threat of cross-pollination with other members of the Brassica family, which includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnip, radish and mustard, he said. “If a single shipment of this stuff comes in, all wild and cultivated oilseed rape will inevitably get contaminated within about five years. “Farmers wouldn’t be able to grow non-GM crops,” he said. In addition, there is currently no protection under patent law to prevent Monsanto effectively owning the crops of farmers who find their plants have become contaminated with the GM product, he warned. Mr O’Callaghan said once the animal feed had sprouted in Ireland, it would be very hard to remove the plants altogether, “short of people going out and rooting them up”. “But the problem with oil seed rape comes because it’s also a wild plant in Ireland – it will get in one way or another unless steps are taken to prevent it.” The GM-Free Ireland Network, which represents more than 32,000 farmers, food producers, retailers, restaurants, hotels, NGOs and consumers, is calling for the Government to ban the product and for Irish regions to become GM free in the same way as areas such as Tuscany have. Mr O’Callaghan said the network had written to the Taoiseach and every TD, Senator and MEP in Ireland demanding immediate action, and had gained the support of a number of TDs from different parties as well as farmers and farming unions. John Heney, rural development chairman for the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, said while it was already virtually impossible to avoid giving GM feedstuffs to animals in Ireland, there were currently no live crops grown and it would be easy for the country to be GM-free, Mr Heney, a cattle farmer from Co Tipperary, said all that would change with the introduction of the seed, which would be a huge threat to Ireland’s bio-integrity. “This will be the first really big threat to our environment – it’s a live seed, it will make its way into the natural environment.” “There will be spillage near the ports and we will have GM making its way in the wild. “That’s another big step on the GM road and it’s very worrying.” He said consumers were increasingly against buying genetically modified products and it would be in the interests of Irish farmers to keep their products GM-free. “From a marketing point of view the only hope we have as farmers is to supply a premium product in a quality market.” Mr Heney said farmers had a lot to lose and nothing to gain from GM products, which were only being pushed by big business. “From a farming interest point of view it is economic suicide to go down the GM road,” he said.