Archived press release

Government hoists white flag to FOE on GM trials

17 September 1999

The Government has thrown up its hands in the face of Friends of the Earth's legal challenge to the GM trials programme. Environment Minister Michael Meacher has conceded that the decision to allow AgrEvo to go ahead with farm-scale trials and other plantings of winter oilseed rape was unlawful. The Government will not defend FOE's application for a judicial review when it comes to Court.

But AgrEvo announced last Friday that it is to continue with its farm-scale trials of winter oilseed rape. These trials will continue despite the Government's admission that they have no legal justification. Three trials have already been planted, but the fourth has now been postponed.

Commenting, FOE Policy Director Tony Juniper said:
“This humiliating climb-down puts the whole GM trials programme into complete chaos. We caught the Government fiddling the law. They have admitted their responsibility and will not contest our legal challenge. But they will let the farm-scale trials go ahead anyway. It is nonsense to pretend that this is a technical matter. This decision allowed a new crop to be grown, over four times the previous area, for twelve months rather than six. The trials should of course be stopped at once.

Now we know that the law will be bent to suit the big biotech companies. And we know that the Government will do nothing to put matters right even when they are caught red-handed. The public can no longer have any confidence that the Government is neutral on the GM issue, or even vaguely competent. Our campaign on GM food will continue, and we will be seeking Counsel's opinion urgently on how to pursue our legal case.”

NOTES TO EDITORS
1. FOE was granted leave for a judicial review of the Government's decision to allow planting of winter oilseed rape with a new consent being required under the EU Deliberate Release Directive. This decision allowed AgrEvo to change the GM crop being tested (from spring to winter oilseed rape) without submitting a new application, quadruple the amount of land covered by farm-scale trials, to an area the size of Southampton (from 1,250 ha to 5,000 ha), and grow the crop for 12 months rather than 6.

The decision was made by officials at the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions; it is not even clear if any Government minister was ever consulted. The decision removed any chance of AgrEvo's application being put to the Government's reformed ACRE committee (Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment),which was set up to ensure greater scrutiny of GM development.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust