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DON'T SWALLOW GOVERNMENT'S GM FUDGE

21 Oct 1998

Friends of the Earth today criticised new Government controls on the growing of genetically engineered crop plants. The environmental group said that despite helpful and encouraging efforts by the Environment Minister, pressure from industry and MAFF has led to the Government not taking official advise to suspend commercial growing of such crops. Even though English Nature, the Government's advisory body on wildlife issues, has joined Friends of the Earth in calling for a five year moratorium on the commercial growing of genetically modified crops, no such measure has been announced today.

Instead, the Government has rushed out weak voluntary framework that could expand rather than limit outdoor testing of genetic crops, that will do nothing to suspend imports of genetically modified foods or interfere too drastically with the planned commercialisation of genetically modified crops several years in the future. The announcement that “no insect resistant GM crops will be introduced into the UK for the next three years” will make no difference as they will probably not be available anyway. Several of the proposals in the announcement are already underway (such as the review of pesticides used on GM crops)or repeat earlier Ministerial commitments (for example looking into longer term monitoring arrangements).

Charles Secrett, Executive Director at Friends of the Earth said:

“This is a very clever political statement as it seems to promise much more than it will actually deliver. The devil is in the detail which reveals that it has more holes than a Swiss cheese. The environment department seems to have bought the case for a moratorium and although they have publc opinion on their side.they are outgunned by MAFF and industry.

“Voluntary agreements by industry do not have an encouraging history of promoting environmental protection. Ministers need to take a stronger position that includes a suspension of genetic food imports, more rigorous testing of these crops and a clear ban on commercial production until all the facts about their impacts are available”.

ENDS

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