London (3.1.07) – Recent months have witnessed an ongoing campaign in some quarters to “keep Ireland GM-free” (1-4) but has it all been in vain?

CropGen has not been looking at food labels in Irish supermarkets so we don’t know whether there are any GM foods on sale in the country. But if it is not going down human throats, there seems to be no shortage of it being fed to animals.

According to an article just last week (5), GM crops now account for a “huge proportion” of the feed used on farms in Ireland with, it is said, increasing difficulties for farmers who may wish to purchase GM-free food.

It is estimated that 464,000 tonnes of GM-maize, 204,000 of GM-soya and 4,300 of GM-rape seed are imported each year, with 95% of all maize and soya being transgenic. It is all perfectly legal if the materials are properly labelled.

It seems that, as usual, market forces are the deciding factor.

Sources:

1. “GM Free Leitrim’ group helps highlight the risks of GMOs. Leitrim Observer (14.4.06)

2. Ian Cameron. Greens lash out at GM trials. Meath Chronicle (15.4.06).

3. GM-free is the goal… Westmeath Examiner (1.4.06)

4. Genetically modified potatoes – Will farmers be contaminated in County Meath? Emergency community discussion And screening of the film “The Future of Food” (25.4.06) (http://www.gmfreeireland.org/potato/GMFI-Summerhill.pdf)

5. Aideen Sheehan. GM crops account for huge portion of farm feed. Irish Independent (30.12.06) (http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1747216&issue_id=15046)

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