Morrisons drop GM-free poultry policy - Soil Association response

23 March 2012

Morrisons’ decision to drop its GM-free feed requirement for poultrymeat and eggs is a huge step in the wrong direction for a company that has long been one of the better multiple retailers in the UK, particularly in terms of its relationship with British farmers. Despite research by Defra to identify home-grown sources of protein in animal feed, the result of Morrisons’ decision is that more bulk soya will be imported from Latin America, to the long-term detriment of British farming. Bulk GM soya imports from Latin America are also likely to have a high carbon footprint, as such supply chains are difficult to monitor, making it almost inevitable that some of Morrisons’ imports would come from areas where rainforest had been destroyed or ancient, wildlife-rich grasslands have been ploughed.

Perhaps most puzzlingly, this decision runs counter to consumer demand as well as the trend among European supermarkets. Carrefour – the world’s second largest retailer – recognised consumer concerns over GM and last year introduced a pioneering scheme to label their own brand meat and fish as fed on GMO free feed. A similar movement is underway in Germany to label products from animals fed on GMO free feed. If such a scheme existed in the UK, it is very unlikely that Morrisons would have taken this step, as time and again UK consumers have rejected GMO products.

This decision means that Morrisons’ customers will be kept in the dark, and denied choice. As is starting to happen in other EU countries, all meat and dairy products from animals fed on GM feed should be clearly labelled, and Morrisons’ decision makes this more even more urgent.