Those who say Ireland should feed its pigs and poultry on GM- free feed are embracing an "anti-competitive system which is doomed to failure", a leading tillage expert warned yesterday.
Prof Jimmy Burke, who was speaking at a Bioenergy 07 event in Co Carlow, said we imported half our protein for the pig and poultry sector from the US, and this was already causing problems for the industry.
He said those who fed their pigs and poultry on GM-free diets were unable to recover the higher costs from the market, and it was, therefore, anti-competitive and had very serious implications for the pig and poultry sector.
"Ireland's position on that and saying we would only go down a route where we would only source non-GM feed is not a realistic option.
"We need to start sitting up and taking notice because that is a real threat to the sector."
When it was put to him that consumers did not want to eat meat grown on GM-grown crops and would be prepared to pay a premium, Prof Burke said that was not the case as those who fed GM-free feed were not getting the returns from the marketplace.
"Studies have been done worldwide, and they have shown that the consumer is not willing, particularly supermarkets, to pass on the cost of additional costs to the producer for that policy.
"The real questions are: are these products safe? Are they regulated properly? The truth is that they are regulated almost out of existence at the moment."
The Green Party had made the issue of turning Ireland into a GM-free zone part of its negotiations on forming a new government .
Since the Government was formed it has abstained on one major vote in an EU committee to allow a specific strain of GM-grown maize to be used in the EU.
The Minister with responsibility for Food, Trevor Sargent, has said Ireland is likely to lose market share in pig and poultry meat if it does not go down the GM-free route.
Pig and poultry exports are estimated at €400 million annually.