Northern Ireland farmers must be allowed to import genetically modified (GM) animal feed to help them survive rising grain costs, Assembly members have claimed.
In a debate on the impact of the inflated global feed markets, MLAs backed a proposal calling on the EU to loosen restrictions on the import of biotech feedstuffs.
The DUP added this amendment to an original Ulster Unionist motion urging Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew to provide financial support to those farmers who are struggling to cope with a 159 per cent hike in grain prices in the last year.
The DUP's William Irwin said the livelihood of many farmers depended on the EU lifting restrictions on GM feed for animals.
"A positive step forward and one that would immediately help the farmers would be the EU agreeing to import a larger range of biotech crops intended for animals feeds," he said.
"These are being grown on an increasing scale in America and would go some way to addressing the grain shortage," Mr Irwin said. He questioned how meat from animals fed on these foods was allowed to come into Europe but the feed was not.
However, Ms Gildernew questioned the worth of allowing more GM imports given consumer reluctance to buy anything associated with their production.