Home > Press releases > 1999
16 Aug 1999
Friends of the Earth is calling on the Government to end the "GM
farce" and stop large scale plantings of genetically modified (GM)
crops. The call comes on the eve of an announcement by the Government
of a new set of farm-scale trials for winter oilseed rape.The trials,
which are little short of “creeping commercialisation”, pose
a risk to the environment through cross-breeding with wild plants as
well as threatening neighbouring
non-GM crops.
Friends of the Earth's Campaigns Director Liana Stupples said:
"These trials are a farce. They will produce little or no useful
scientific evidence and are an environmental hazard in themselves. The
Government's policy is to plant field after field with GM crops and
see if anything goes wrong. This isn't science - this is creeping commercialisation.
The Government should protect our countryside and send the biotech companies
back to the labs."
"Creeping Commercialisation"
1. The trials are part of the "managed development" of GM
crops. AgrEvo has been given consent for a massive increase in oilseed
rape trials, from 1,250 acres now to 12,500 acres by 2000. The Government
has refused to rule out other large-scale plantings during the trials
Environmental Hazard
2. The trials have not been designed to prevent pollen escaping from
the crop, or to study pollen movement. It is likely that cross-pollination
of nearby crops or wild plants will occur.Any nearby beekeepers may
also find their honey contaminated with GM pollen. A recent report for
the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food, from the biotech research
body the John Innes Centre, stated that cross pollination of crops would
be "inevitable" and that the separation distances set out
in industry guidelines would not prevent this.
3. Small-scale trials have only concentrated on the agronomic performance
of GM crops- including yield and commercial value - rather than environmental
effects. There has been no evaluation of properly designed small-scale
trials.
4. Farm scale trials have not been inspected by the HSE.
5. The Government has no clear policy on how to respond to any evidence
of environmental damage that may occur. A leaked memo from the Cabinet
Office, previously published by FOE, asked "What if environmental
damage is shown to occur, how much can we tolerate as a justifiable
cost? Or do we believe that any damage should justify a halt?(The latter
is unlikely to be true, but will be difficult in presentational terms.)"
6. The trials are being governed by voluntary guidelines written up
by the industry itself.Former Agriculture Minister Jeff Rooker stated
that there was no parliamentary time to make these guidelines mandatory.
Scientific Farce
7 Basic research into what wildlife exists on farmland before GM crops
are trialed has not been done. A report by the Government's Pesticide
Safety Directorate last year pointed out that very little is known about
wildlife in intensively run farms.
8. Key research which should form the basis for any farm-scale trials
is not yet complete.A MAFF funded project (BRIGHT) to examine impacts
on botanical diversity and to "provide farmers with practical guidance
on the appropriate management of herbicide tolerant crops"only
started in April 1999 and will not be finished until 2003.
9. The trials may not show much about the impact of growing herbicide
resistant crops.Without the relevant research into agricultural ecology,
it is likely that only gross differences between GM and non GM crops
will be detected. Subtle changes, which could have important long term
impacts, may be missed.
10. It remains unclear what role the biotech giant AgrEvo, which supplies
the GM seed and chemicals, have to play. FOE have written to Michael
Meacher asking for the contracts to be made public. It is possible that
AgrEvo may control when spraying takes place - and therefore the effects
on biodiversity - thus making a mockery of the trials.
Policy Chaos
11. The question of who would be liable for damage caused by growing
GM crops has not been answered. Legally responsibility for any damage
caused to the environment or the livelihoods of nearby food producers
should be established before these trials go ahead.
12. The trials are funded by the taxpayer for over £3 million and
not the biotech industry who stand to make millions out of the seed
and chemical sales.
13. There is no demand for GM produce in the UK. Most major retailers
and food manufacturers have now removed GM ingredients from their products.
14. The trials are looking at whether there is a difference in wildlife
between GM crops and conventional intensive crops - the so called "null
hypothesis". Conventional farming is known to seriously damage
wildlife. Tests should be looking at all farming options to see which
one is best for the environment, rural economies and the production
of safe food.
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Contact details:
Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html
Media team
