ENOUGH SITES FOUND' FOR GM FARM TRIALS
PA News
Freitag, 10. März 2000 20:54:00
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By Martha Linden, PA News
Farm-scale trials of genetically modified crops look set to go ahead after
enough sites were found to carry out the experiments, it emerged tonight.
A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said the Scientific Steering Committee -- an
independent group overseeing the trials -- had met today and decided there were
enough sites for the trials to go ahead.
She said: "The outcome of the meeting was that there are sufficient sites to
allow trials to go ahead. They will be advising ministers next week and an
announcement will be made as soon as possible."
It had been reported last month that the trial site organisers were
"struggling" to find enough farmers to take part.
Ministers were said to want about 75 farm-scale trials of GM crops this year
to test whether they damage the environment.
They need to choose from a pool of 150 farms for the first phase of the
three-year scientific experiment.
Peter Melchett, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: "If these trials
go ahead it will be a potential tragedy for the environment. Britain will be
bombarded with GM pollen without any regard for wildlife, people, or GM-free
farmers.
"The whole process has been nothing short of genetic tyranny with an almost
complete absence of public consultation."
A Friends of the Earth spokesman urged farmers who had volunteered for the
trials to "think again".
He said: "Farmers who have signed up for these very large trials should
realise that they have also signed up to a packet of potential problems.
"Issues such as liability for cross-pollination of neighbouring crops and
contamination of honey have not been resolved. The main beneficiaries of GM
crops could well be lawyers rather farmers."