A year after Tesco and Asda pledged to source all chicken and pork from animals fed non-GM diets, they have failed to meet their targets on pork. Although they attribute the delay to foot and mouth disease, industry sources say the multiples are privately regretting jumping on the non-GM bandwagon because sourcing bona fide non-GM soya is increasingly difficult and expensive. European compounders source non-GM soya almost exclusively from Brazil, because identity-preserved soya from the US is prohibitively expensive. Although Brazil has a cultivation ban on GMO plantings, even official estimates from the country's seed producers and dealers association concede Brazil is being flooded with unregistered GM seed from Argentina, where more than 90% of production is genetically modified. The recent devaluation of the peso makes the Argentinian seed even more attractive. Given seed sales from authorised dealers in Brazil do not correspond with the rise in total planted area, it is clear an increasing number of seeds are being bought unofficially, the association says. While UK retailers are confident their traceability and verification procedures prevent rogue soya from slipping through the net, they will struggle to meet their commitments if illegal plantings rise, and prices rocket. The NFU said it still had major concerns about the cost, integrity and availability of supplies. l Sainsbury boss Sir Peter Davis has attacked rivals for jumping on the non-GM animal feed bandwagon too quickly. Responding to a question on GM-free foods at the City Food Lecture this week, he told the audience that rival chains had given undertakings that were difficult to meet. {{NEWS }}

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