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29 Sep 1999
The errant GM pollen was found during a GM monitoring and analysis programme organised by Friends of the Earth and Newsnight, around Model Farm, near Watlington, Oxfordshire. The monitoring was carried out by the National Pollen Research Unit and a bee specialist, and the GM analysis was carried out by the Federal Environment Agency in Austria. These disturbing results will severely embarrass the Government on the day of the environment debate at the Labour Party conference. Earlier this month the Government was forced to admit that trials of winter oilseed rape are illegal, after a Court challenge by Friends of the Earth showed that the rules governing consent for such trials had been broken to suit the convenience of biotech giant AgrEvo.
The study, which looked at pollen carried by bees and in the air showed that::
. All six bee hives monitored - located at between 500
metres and 4.5 kilometres from the GM crop - were found to contain GM
oilseed rape pollen [3];
. Airborne GM pollen was detected at up to 475
metres from the trial site [4].
Charles Secrett, Executive Director of Friends of the Earth, said:
“This study shows that genetic pollution from the farm scale
trials is already happening.Earlier this month we forced the Government
to admit that the new farm scale trials are illegal. This week, we have
shown that all the current GM trials threaten local farmers,beekeepers
and the environment. This must be the death blow for the whole GM trials
programme. Let Tony Blair use the Labour Party conference to announce
that it will now be stopped. Nothing less will reassure the public that
the Government gives a hoot about the environmental safety of GM food
and crops.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
[1] Friends of the Earth contracted the National
Pollen Research Unit at University College,Worcester to monitor airborne
pollen on roads and public rights of way around the farm scale trial
for spring oilseed rape at Model Farm, Pirton, Near Watlington, Oxfordshire
in June and July 1999. Access problems (the farmer owned most of the
land in the vicinity) meant that permanent monitoring sites could not
be set up and therefore spot samples were used. See attached summary.
Pollen traps were placed on six bee hives sited in the area of the
farm scale trial in June and July 1999. Two were 500 metres from the
crop, two were 2.75 kilometres from the crop and two were 4.5 km. The
pollen was collected and analysed by a bee and honey consultant , Sarah
Brookes, of Evesham, Worcestershire.
Newsnight sent six samples of airborne pollen and 6 of beehive pollen
were sent to the laboratory of the Federal Environment Agency in Austria
for DNA analysis. All six beehive samples were found to contain GM oilseed
rape pollen from an AgrEvo variety and 2 out of 6 airborne samples.
[2] The Supply Chain Initiative on the Modified
Agricultural Crops (SCIMAC) code of practice for growing GM herbicide
resistant crops has been endorsed by the UK Government. The maximum
separation distance for GM oilseed crops and conventional crops is 50m.
For seed crops and organic crops the recommended distance is 200m.
[3] Research by the Scottish Crop Research Institute
reported at the Gene Flow in Agriculture:Revelence for Transgeneic Crops
Conference, Keele University April 1999 (British Crop Protection Council
Symposium Proceedings No 72) reported oilseed rape pollen at 4km from
a field of oilseed rape.
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
