LETTERS

Sir​

I read your editorial on p3 and news item ('EU makes a pig's ear of GM-free feed regulation') on p5 of FM​ (June issue).

Aren't China and India impacting upon animal feed prices globally, putting pressure on all primary producers?

The price of meat, meat products and food generally will continue to rise as the market adjusts. The decades of cheap food and expectations of ever-decreasing food production costs are behind us. But to conveniently attribute rising food and feed prices to shortages of non-genetically modified (GM) feed is misleading. So is the notion that GM is the magic bullet to solve a shortage of food commodities and feed an exploding world population.

We can only start using GM food when consumers accept it.

There is another issue surrounding GM and the long-term sustainability of GM crops. Harassed food and feed industries may be forgiven for assuming a "victim" mentality, but if the food and feed industries insist upon non-GM raw materials to meet consumer requirements, growers will grow non-GM.

I was interested to read that Meurig Raymond, deputy president of the National Farmers' Union (NFU), "cannot understand why the French have changed their stance" on GM. Maybe it is connected with Germany recently passing new biotech legislation allowing meat, milk and eggs to carry "no genetic engineering" labels. This instantly enables poultry and pig producers to realise better prices for products and deliver consumer choice. Could French legislators be thinking the same?

Richard Werran​

md, Cert ID Europe​