“Mariann Fischer Boel, the agriculture commissioner, told agriculture ministers that breaking a logjam of GMO applications would throw a lifeline to dairy and pig farmers who face high prices for non-GM feed.
“Farmers’ groups have warned they face a ‘serious shortage’ of livestock feed in a matter of weeks because of the EU’s zero tolerance of unapproved GMOs in imported feed and foodstuffs.”
The FT article explained that, “The EU imports nearly two-thirds of the 33.5m tonnes of the soyabean meal used by the food and livestock industry annually.

“Some 200,000 tonnes of US soyabeans have been blocked at EU ports this year because they contained trace amounts of two varieties of GM maize that have been declared safe by the commission’s scientific arm, but not yet approved by member states.
“The situation has become more severe this year because a drought in Argentina, one of the EU’s largest suppliers, has cut its soyabean production.”

And the Commodity News for Tomorrow Email newsletter (CME Group, Dow Jones) reported yesterday that, “European Union ministers will soon vote on allowing the import of a new genetically modified corn variety after several U.S. soy cargoes with traces of the grain were blocked in the summer, an E.U. official said Tuesday.

“Ministers could vote on the new genetically modified organism, or GMO, called Monsanto 88017, as early as October, he added.

“E.U. Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel has urged ministers to accelerate approval of new GM cultivars to avoid further trade disruptions after 200,000 metric tons of soy were denied entry into the E.U. by mid-July.”
 
Source: FarmPolicy.com