Germany’s Wiesenhof returning to GM-free feed for poultry

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  Andrea Gantz

  German poultry producer Wiesenhof is returning to using feed free of genetically modified ingredients.

  From WATTAgNet:
  German poultry producer Wiesenhof announced it would return to using feed free of genetically modified ingredients due to consumer demand.
  Wiesenhof’s decisions comes just 10 months after the German Poultry Association unilaterally declared that it would stop using GM-free animal feed, following similar moves by other associations in England and Denmark. Reasons given at the time to stop using GM-free feed included a shortage of GMO-free soya, the risk of contamination, and the associated legal uncertainty.
  Wiesenhof confirmed December 5 that it will soon be in a position to supply GM-free fed poultry again, as this is what is “desired by customers.”
  Alexander Hissting of the Association Food without Genetic Engineering stated: “We expect an almost complete return of the poultry meat industry to GMO-free production in the coming months.”
  The decision was also a result of pressure from German supermarkets, as in late August the supermarkets, with a broad consensus, demanded the German Poultry Association to stop using GMO feed for both egg and poultry meat production, beginning January 1, 2015. That is the date when the retailers want to receive GMO-free fed products again, meaning that poultry suppliers have had to rush to get their feed supply chains again free from GMO feed.