Planting of the genetically modified (GM) maize variety Chardon LL

Response to comments attributed to Carwyn Jones in Western Mail 20 November 2002.

The Editor
Western Mail
Thomson House
Havelock Street
Cardiff
CF10 1XR

21 November 2002

Dear Sir

I am writing in response to the comments made by Carwyn Jones AM about Friends of the Earth Cymru in the Western Mail (20 November 2002).

Mr Jones is reported as saying that, when he was Agriculture Minister, we "refused to work with him" to resist the growth of GM crops in Wales. He is quoted as saying: "I asked them to work with us to identify legal grounds which we could use in order to take up this issue and to restrict the growth of GM crops. They did not help at all, they came up with nothing. They were no use at all to us. When push came to shove they did nothing.".

These comments are completely without foundation.

In April 2001 we wrote to Carwyn Jones about proposals to plant GM maize in Wales. We sent him over 150 pages of material including both scientific and legal evidence giving him grounds to take action against the planting.

We stand by our assertion that the National Assembly had (and still has) the power to block the planting of GM maize in Wales. Legal opinions on these matters frequently differ. We are fully prepared to debate this matter with Mr Jones and, if he believes that we are wrong, he is quite entitled to say so. He is not, however, entitled to smear the name of Friends of the Earth Cymru with such vitriolic and unfounded statements.

If Mr Jones thinks that we have ever suggested there is one thing the Assembly can do to ban the growth of GM crops in Wales once and for all then he is confused. This is a complex legal issue which requires a range of responses. That is why we have joined with the Farmers' Union of Wales, the National Federation of Womens' Institutes - Wales and GM Free Cymru to propose five steps the Assembly should take between now and May 2003 to protect Wales from the release of GM crops.

In amongst our dismay at being so shamelessly and inaccurately attacked by an Assembly Minister we are heartened that the only grounds he could find to criticise us on should be such spurious ones.

Yours faithfully

Julian Rosser