GM farmer misleading public - Cottle criticised by FOE Cymru

Friends of the Earth (FOE) Cymru has accused John Cottle, the farmer running the GM crop trial in Flintshire, of "seriously misleading the public" about the GM maize. The group claims he has made a number of assertions about the maize and the associated herbicide which are "fundamentally wrong".

Mr. Cottle said in a local paper [1] that the maize was self-pollinating and hence unlikely to spread pollen across the countryside, and that the herbicide "does not harm wildlife, rivers, insects or people". He also claimed that the trial is "well contained".

It is widely accepted that maize is cross-pollinating. Maize pollen is able, by action of wind, to pollinate other maize plants up to 800m away. However, small quantities of pollen are likely to travel much further under suitable atmospheric conditions [2]. FOE Cymru says that far from being "well contained", the maize will spread its pollen far and wide

Mr. Cottle's assertions of the herbicide being safe for wildlife are also flawed. The herbicide to be used with the maize is glufosinate. This has been described by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as ‘persistent' and ‘mobile'. It is highly soluble in water and is likely to leach into water systems. FOE Cymru say this is a major problem because glufosinate is toxic to a number of aquatic animals including the larvae of clams and oysters, as well as some freshwater water fish, including trout. The chemical is also toxic to soil microorganisms [3]. FOE Cymru says this could impact on future crops on that land, as soil ecology and the role of microorganisms in farming is not well understood.

Raoul Bhambral, FOE Cymru's GM Campaigner said,

" Mr. Cottle is fundamentally wrong about the maize he is growing. It is more likely to pollinate other plants than itself. Most farmers are currently catering to a GM-free market, which could be threatened by Cottle's actions.

" We urge Mr. Cottle to destroy the crop before it starts to release its pollen. It is clear he hasn't been given the full facts, and is misleading the public about the maize's likely effects on the environment and other crops.

" We would also request that he respect the wishes of the Assembly and the people of Wales, and make Wales GM-crop free. "

Notes

[1] Flintshire Chronicle, June 30, 2000, GM crop farmer answers critics

[2] Maize is essentially wind pollinated, and the male and female parts of the plant tend to mature at different times, to prevent self pollination. Although self-pollination is possible, under normal field conditions, up to 95% of maize is fertilised by pollen from other plants. A report for the Soil Association from the National Pollen Research Unit, January 2000. Pollen dispersal in the crops Maize (Zea mays), Oil seed rape (Brassica napus ssp oleifera), Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) and Wheat (Triticum aestivum)

[3] Glufosinate ammonium Fact sheet, Pesticide News (issue no. 42, December 1998), the journal of the Pesticides Trust.