杏吧原创

FLOWER power could allay the fears of farmers worried about feeding their
livestock genetically modified soya, say researchers in Wales. Their answer?
Russian lupins.

Britain is not yet imposing any mandatory tests to ensure that soya beans
have not been mixed with GM varieties鈥攕o farmers cannot guarantee the
beans鈥� pedigree. But scientists at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental
Research in Aberystwyth say farmers could avoid the soya problem altogether by
feeding their animals lupin protein, which they say is rich enough to replace
the one million tonnes of soya imported by British farmers each year. And by
growing the lupins themselves, they could save money鈥攕oya costs up to
拢200 per tonne. 鈥淚t keeps the farmer away from GM products, and keeps
costs of feedstuffs as low as possible,鈥� says Raymond Jones, head of the
institute鈥檚 forage and conservation group.

Jones, Rhun Fychan and their colleagues at the institute have been evaluating
different types of forage crop which could replace soya. The protein content of
most recognised alternatives, such as red clover, seldom exceeds 20 per
cent鈥攈alf that of soya. But with between 30 and 35 per cent protein,
lupins are a more realistic rival. Especially promising is a spring-sown Russian
variety. Seeds from most lupin species are tricky to harvest because they are
produced along the entire length of tall flower spikes. 鈥淭he Russian ones only
grow seeds at the top, which are much easier to harvest,鈥� says Jones.

Peter Loggie, policy manager at the National Farmer鈥檚 Union of Scotland,
says: 鈥淚鈥檓 sure farmers would consider this idea if they could not get proteins
the supermarkets are happy with, but it would depend very much on it being
economically sensible.鈥�