Geflügel: Handel will weg vom Genfutter

Thursday, 28 August 2014 LZnet/dl.

(Lebensmittelzeitung http://www.lebensmittelzeitung.net/)

After months of confrontation, the German poultry industry and food retailers are talking about the reintroduction of GMO-free feed.

In great unanimity, the German retailers wish for the poultry meat industry and the egg producers to return entirely to feeding animals without genetic engineering. According to the ideas of the grocers, this is to be the case again from January 2015.

The German Poultry Association (ZDG) does not want to commit itself to this date. First, the result of a jointly agreed study is to be reviewed, says ZDG CEO Thomas Janning talking to Lebensmittel-Zeitung: "We will not be blackmailed."

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For this purpose, a working group "Soy in Animal Feed" was established under the auspices of the QS animal welfare initiative. This is where the retailer representatives defined the long-term goal to abandon genetic engineering in the feed rations of the entire animal husbandry, including the feeding of pigs and cattle. The production of poultry meat is given priority.

"Everyone has to come clean"

Task and time schedules were agreed on providing for representative analyses for contaminations in feed as well as the clarification of legal issues in regards to labeling. Janning considers this indispensable: "Everyone has to come clean. We must not slide into a new feed scandal. "

If the working group comes to the conclusion that GMO-free feeding is possible Janning holds an industry agreement to be the right way to proceed. Starting point could then be the new soy harvest 2015.