DEAR SIR:

With regard to an article by Andy Doyle and a letter from Michael Slattery in recent issues, both writers are 100% correct in their opinion on the feed ration position in Ireland at the moment.

I would take a much stronger line on this subject and say the tillage sector should clearly state the facts about how the authorities have deserted the native grain and pulse producers in Ireland. The facts are:

1 Up to 80% of feed ration is imported and over 60% of that is GMO.

2 We are not allowed to grow GMO in Ireland and only small amounts are grown in the EU.

3 Imports from outside the EU do not have to comply with EU production standards and have access to chemicals that are no longer allowed in the EU. Yet crops treated with such products can be imported.

4 No inspection of these imports takes place. Department officials accept the paperwork from the ship’s captain and no sampling or testing takes place. (Senior Department of Agriculture source)

5 It seems unlikely that farms outside of the EU would pass either our Grain Assurance audit or a Bord Bia audit.

6 Brokers and feed mills use the price of cheap GMO imports to undermine the price of quality native grain.

7 Bord Bia puts its Quality mark on food produced from animals that are fed high percentages of GMO ingredients.

8 Bord Bia has, in all its workshops, repeatedly expressed the importance of upholding the integrity of its Quality mark and the credibility of Origin Green.

9 By promoting these foods as being produced from animals that are grass fed and by claiming the system is unique to Ireland, Bord Bia is falling way short of its own standards of integrity and credibility.

10 The first item on Bord Bia’s charter for Origin Green is that raw materials must come from a sustainable source with an emphasis on low carbon footprint. The second item states that the impact on the environment is a major consideration. Both of these Bord Bia objectives are totally ignored when they allow the Quality mark to be used on GMO-fed animal products.

11 Many imported feeds are associated with rain forest destruction or GMO genetics and are then shipped halfway around the world. What does this do for carbon footprint?

12 Any state-sponsored body that abandons its charter and is economical with the facts in its promotions should be taken to task for its actions.

13 Our Department of Agriculture should be asked to explain how it allows imports to go into our food chain without any inspection or testing.

14 The IFA has been aware of all of these facts for years and has made little or no effort to curtail the damage to Irish grain growers.

15 Irish grain growers can grow the bulk of ingredients for our feed rations but not at prices akin to those received in the 1980s. Irish grains and pulses are fully traceable and audited and are among the safest in the world.

These are major issues and much more could be said on the subject. Grain stores all over the country are full of last year’s stocks after the lowest yielding harvest in recent years. Many merchants will have to carry these stocks in to 2019, which will effectively ruin prices for the coming harvest.

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