The Irish Cattle & Sheepowners Association has called on the Government to abandon any plans to allow the use of GM technology in food production in Ireland, reports Irish Broadcaster RTE.
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ICSA rural development chairman John Heney said it was imperative that Ireland, north and south, declared itself a GM-free area to protect what he called the unique and much-envied clean, green image that Irish food enjoys amongst European consumers.
He said he accepted the Irish Government’s current pro-GM stance alone could not force GM food onto the plates of Irish consumers, but he felt it could have a devastating effect on the value of Irish food exports, which still accounted for 25% of Ireland’s net earnings.
The outcome of a recent 2-day conference in Florence had highlighted how other European food-producing regions were responding to growing consumer resistance to GM food, he said. At the conference, 20 EU regions signed up to a ‘GMO-free’ charter.
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