Transgenic soya beans: economic implications for EU livestock sector

McFarlane, I., Park, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3430-9052, Ceddia, G. and Phipps, R. (2011) Transgenic soya beans: economic implications for EU livestock sector. Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops & Foods, 3 (2). pp. 54-62. ISSN 1757-837X doi: 10.1111/j.1757-837X.2011.00096.x

Abstract/Summary

World oilseed trade consists of many closely substitutable commodities, with canola and cottonseed as possible alternatives to soya beans for many purposes. Transgenic events in all three crops have been widely adopted, particularly in North and South America, for compelling economic or agronomic reasons. Despite the close attention from organizations concerned about the potential consequences of transgenic crop adoption, there appears to be no substantiated evidence of transgenic DNA in meat or milk products when such crops are fed to livestock. The global area of these transgenic crops continues to increase. No transgenic canola, cotton or soya bean crops are permitted for commercial cultivation in Europe, and although transgenic feed resources are permitted for import, importers risk shipments being denied entry if the traces of an unauthorized transgenic crop are detected. These tight controls can mean that livestock farmers in the EU are disadvantaged due to restricted access to cheaper feed or higher feed costs, and they are thus loosing a degree of competitive advantage. This paper reviews the extent to which transgenic soya beans have become the ‘conventional’ method of cultivation elsewhere, and notes implications this has for livestock nutrition, traceability and economics within the EU. The paper concludes with discussion regarding the implications for the EU of delayed acceptance of newly available transgenic traits.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/20429
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of Sustainable Land Management > Centre for Agri-environmental Research (CAER)
Uncontrolled Keywords	animal nutrition; biotechnology; feed grains; GM crops; regulatory; traceability
Publisher	Wiley-Blackwell
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