Archived press release

Government announces final GM trial sites

8 July 2002

The Government has announced the locations for the latest, and last, round of GM farm-scale evaluations. There are 18 GM oil seed rape sites altogether. Sixteen in England, and two sites in Scotland. The results of the trials are due to be published next year.

Pete Riley, GM campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:
"This final round of GM experiments contains some very familiar parish names. Many have already hosted trials without taking into account the concerns of local residents and neighbouring farmers. Clearly the biotech industry is struggling to find new farmers to take part, despite the incentives on offer.

“The Government has agreed to hold a national debate on whether GM and non GM crops can co-exist. At the same time they are allowing trials to take place that will spread pollen far and wide, threatening neighbouring crops, honey and the environment with GM contamination. Why is the Government allowing these crops to be grown when the market for GM crops in the UK has completely collapsed?”

6 Figure
Grid
Reference Parish County/Authority

ENGLAND
NZ 205 367 Oakenshaw Durham
NZ 394 524 Near Burdon village City of Sunderland
SE 792 276 Kilpin East Riding of Yorkshire
SE 841 497 Nunburnholme East Riding of Yorkshire
SJ 398 268 Hordley Shropshire
SJ 714 872 Lymm Warrington
SP 231 535 Stratford upon Avon Warwickshire
SU 379 993 Hinton Waldrist Oxfordshire
SY 692 841 Bincombe Dorset
TA 087 602 Harpham East Riding of Yorkshire
TF 213 972 Thorganby Lincolnshire
TF 227 876 Ludford, East Wykeham
& Ludford Magna Lincolnshire
TL 048 098 Great Gaddesden Hertfordshire
TM 165 902 Great Moulton Norfolk
TQ 882 397 High Halden Kent
TQ 995 250 Ivychurch Kent

SCOTLAND
NO429252 Newport-on-Tay Fife
NJ751305 Daviot Aberdeenshire

Pollen is known to travel large distances. Last month, Science Magazine reported that Australian researchers had found that fields of oilseed rape could cross-pollinate with other crops three kilometres away. The separation distance in the UK between the GM oil seed rape sites and conventional crops is only 50 metres.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust