According to GMO-free Europe, the poultry producer and processor’s about turn comes 10 months after the German Poultry Association (ZDG) unilaterally declared that it was stopping using GM-free animal feed, following similar moves by other associations in England and Denmark.

The reasons that were given for the move to stop GM-free animal feed after more than a decade of GMO-free feeding were an alleged shortage of GMO-free soya, the risk of contamination, and the associated legal uncertainty.

Wiesenhof confirmed last week that it will soon be in a position to supply GM-free fed poultry again, as this is what its customers wanted.

In a report in Spiegel, Alexander Hissting of VLOG (Association Food without Genetic Engineering) said that he expected an almost complete return to GMO-free production by the German poultry industry in the coming months.

GMO-free Europe said that Wiesenhof’s decision is a direct result of pressure from the top German supermarkets.

Earlier this year the German supermarkets called on the German Poultry Association (ZDG) to stop using GMO feed for both egg and poultry meat production from 1 January 2015.