USDA/FAS GAIN report SW 5016

Effective January 1, 2005, Swedish Meats, a farmer-owned cooperative accounting for about 60 percent of total slaughter in Sweden, will end its decade long ban on GM feed.

The ban was originally implemented and maintained due to the Swedish food industry’s reluctance to accept products of biotechnology and the related perceived potential for negative consumer reaction.

The decision to allow coop members of Swedish Meats to include GM feed in animal rations was precipitated by the escalating cost of sourcing non-GM soy products from Brazil. The Swedish cooperative predicts prices of non-GM soybean meal will double in 2006.

Reportedly, this decision has not resulted in any negative reaction from the Swedish trade. Consumer acceptance of products of biotechnology has increased. This is supported by the fact that Swedish consumers continue to buy imported meat from countries that routinely incorporate GM feed in their rations.

A Market Leader Focused on Consumers and the Environment

Swedish Meats is one of the largest food groups in Sweden. It is owned by 24,000 livestock farmers with sales exceeding US $1 billion. Members raise cattle, sheep, and hogs. The cooperative runs 12 slaughtering plants and employs about 4,060 people.

Animal welfare, environmental management, sustainable development and a respect for nature are priorities of Swedish Meats, evidenced by their membership in the Nordic Partnership, an NGO-business network dissolved in 2005, which was focused on promoting global sustainable development.

Scan Foods, a wholly-owned subsidiary, is one of the strongest brands in Sweden supplying food products to consumers, restaurants and catering establishments.