British animal feed manufacturing firms could soon find themselves experiencing increased competition from US export if new legislation is introduced.
According to a report in the Observer, the UK government is set to publically back EU plans to allow the import of animal feed containing genetically modified maize and wheat.
The newspaper suggests this will be a huge boost to US animal feed exporters, who were previously unable to get their products into Britain thanks to restrictions on the use of genetically modified crops.
However, a loosening in the zero-tolerance approach to genetically modified foodstuffs in the EU could allow British animal feed manufacturers to have access to genetically modified raw materials in future.
This could ease the pressure on the supply of agricultural commodities, which in turn would reduce the overall cost of these raw materials.
The UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation recently warned that the cost of wheat and maize will continue to rise for the foreseeable future, as it has done for the last seven months.
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the animal feed industry includes:
