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There is a now a huge momentum in Germany to convert all private label meat sectors to GM free soy, said the German Association of Food without Genetic Engineering (VLOG).
“The transition to non GM soy is taking place in meat sectors beyond poultry,” Alexander Hissting, general manager of VLOG, told FeedNavigator.
And Dr Ludger Breloh, head of strategic purchases/green products for the Rewe Group, the second biggest retailer in Germany with a presence in 11 other European markets, has been creating awareness around the trend.
In an article posted on the Global Grain South America conference website, he wrote that the increasing retailer demand for non-GM soybean meal in Germany is a potential industry game changer and a shift Brazilian exporters, crushers and farmers should “keep their eyes on”.
In August, on a visit to Brasilia the German minister for agriculture, Christian Schmidt, told media that expansion of non GM soy production in Brazil was high on the German agenda.
In 2014, German poultry companies were forced to renege on a 14-year-old pledge to only use GM free feed . The German poultry trade association said the industry switched due to the hike in the costs of non GM soy and the risk of cross-contamination by GM soy.
But supermarkets demanded poultry producers revert to sourcing GM free soy, in part because of pressure from groups like Greenpeace.
“In a few years’ time, we could very well be looking back at the events of 2014 and seeing them as the trigger for the entire meat production industry in Germany to go GM soy free.” said Hissting.
Read full, original post: Brazilian soy exporters, crushers and farmers should ‘keep their eyes on’ German GM free trend, says retailer
