Feed Genetic Engineering: Feeding the EU's Livestock

Europe’s cows, pigs, and chickens are eating GMOs: their feed usually contains ingredients made from genetically modified plants. In addition, animal feed often has additives and enzymes that are produced with genetically modified microorganisms. Although GM animal feed must be labelled, the end products of animal production like milk, eggs, and meat do not require labelling. 

It has been a long time since the EU Member States have been self-sufficient when it comes to producing animal feed. Without importing feed, the EU would have to cut back on meat, dairy, and egg production. The ban on using animal parts in feed brought on by the BSE crisis (mad cow disease) has heightened Europe’s dependence on foreign imports.

Soy is extremely important as a relatively inexpensive source of protein and oil. Soy meal is the single most important animal feed in the EU, accounting for 55 percent of protein-rich animal feed.

Other important animal feeds imported into Europe include maize, rapeseed, cottonseed, wheat, rye, and oats.

Maize: More GM feed in the future

Europe is quite self-sufficient when it comes to maize. Almost two thirds of maize production in the EU is used in animal feed. GM maize is currently being grown in Spain, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Portugal. Europe’s GM maize crop is mainly used for animal feed.

Most of the maize in European animal feed is not genetically modified. If GM maize production in Europe were to increase, so would the amount of GM feed fed to animals, especially cattle.

The EU Member States import maize gluten (a protein rich maize feed from the US) and sweet corn (from Argentina) in small quantities. Both of these countries are major producers of GM maize.

Feed from rapeseed and cotton

No GM rapeseed or GM cotton is grown in the EU. Although GM rapeseed and cottonseed animal feeds could reach the European market through imports of raw materials, imports from North America remain low and relatively insignificant.

Genetic engineering in feed additives

Various additives and enzymes added to animal feed can be produced with the help of genetically modified microorganisms. For example:

• Vitamins: Vitamin B2, vitamin B12, or biotin (for animal health)
• Various amino acids (improved feed quality)
• Enzymes (improved breakdown efficiency)
• Colouring, beta carotene (e.g. for salmon)

Not a trace in foods

Despite methods that are becoming more and more sensitive, tests have not yet been able to establish a difference in the meat, milk, or eggs of animals depending on the type of feed they are fed. It is impossible to tell if an animal was fed GM soy just by looking at the resulting meat, dairy, or egg products. The only way to verify the presence of GMOs in animal feed is to analyze the origin of the feed itself.
 

See also on GMO-Compass:

• GM soybeans: More than half of worldwide production