Agriculture

Soya Key Plant for Declaring Slovakia GMO-Free Country

Bratislava, September 6 (TASR) – Soya will most likely play a key role in the possibility of declaring Slovakia a GMO-free country, Association of Fodder Producers, Warehouses and Business Companies (ZVKSaOS) chief Marian Uhrik stated on Tuesday.

All soya produced in Slovakia is without GMO, while at the moment it covers half of the country’s actual consumption.

“We want to use Slovakia’s smallness to be able to provide soya solely from domestic resources,” said Uhrik, adding that genetically modified soya groats are currently being imported to Slovakia as fodder for animals.

Nevertheless, Slovakia could become fully self-sufficient in soya production within two or three years, stressed Uhrik.

All effects of artificial interference with the DNA of plants still aren’t sufficiently known. “These risks must be taken into account,” said Uhrik.

Soya hadn’t always been so significant for fodder production. Nonetheless, following the outbreak of BSE, popularly known as ‘mad cow disease’, in Europe in the early 2000s, soya became perhaps the single most significant source of proteins in the diet of chiefly monogastric animals, such as pigs.

“In Slovakia, we want to show that it’s possible without GMOs,” said Slovak Agriculture and Food Chamber (SPPK) chairman Milan Semancik.

Meanwhile, the initiative has already gained support of the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry.

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