Church of England wants moratorium on GM crops
Reuters World Report
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By Bill Rosato
LONDON, April 5 (Reuters) - The Church of England should not
allow new tenants to carry out genetically modified crop trials
on its land, the church's Ethical Advisory Group said on
Wednesday.
"Until further research has been conducted into the
ecological risks, new agricultural leases should contain a
clause excluding the planting of GM crops on church land," the
EAG said in a statement.
An "ethical framework" for GM crop research should be
developed before the church allows trials on its land.
"Researchers should ask themselves the question 'what is
the effect on the spiritual and physical well being of others
resulting from our actions in pursuit of this science?"' the
advisory group said.
Supporters of GM crops say the technology could help feed
the developing world, cut agricultural costs and reduce the need
for pesticides.
Detractors say the health risks of the fledgling technology
are unclear and the environmental hazards potentially alarming
-- particularly since altered genes could spread with unknown
effects.
The Labour government has ordered scientific trials of the
crops, promising full transparency about the experiment.
Thirty-four new farm-scale trials of maize, beet and oilseed
rape are all due to be planted in April, allowing independent
scientists to make comparisons with traditional crops and assess
any effects on local plants and wildlife.
The trials are due to end in 2003.
The EAG said its mind was not closed on the GM issue.
"The genetic modification of crops is not beyond the range
of acceptable human activities... The group considers the
potential benefits of genetic modification for humankind to be
too great to ignore," the group said.
A spokeswoman for the Home Office's (interior ministry's) GM
unit said that the government had no plans to carry out GM
trials on church land and added that SCIMAC -- an industry wide
body set up to support the introduction of GM crops -- was in
charge of siting the trials.
"The trials are a vitally important programme that will
tell us what effects, if any, GM crops have on our
environment," the spokeswoman added.
The Church of England owns about 52,000 hectares (128,000
acres) of tenanted farmland.