Archived press release

Genetic Polluters Escape Scot Free. Government Shambles Means Offenders Escape Prosecution

16 October 1998

The evidence comes in a letter to Friends of the Earth from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) - which carries out inspections of GM trial sites on behalf of the Government [1]. FOE requested key information on monitoring and enforcement of GM test sites under the Environmental Information Regulations 1992.

The HSE's reply shows that [2]:
. one in ten of the sites monitored so far this year have breached consents [3];
. most GM sites are not monitored. Last year only just over one third of licensed sites were checked by HSE Inspectors [4];
. HSE do not know how many breaches there have been in recent years because they don't have the relevant information;
. no company has yet been prosecuted for illegally breaching a consent to hold a crop trial; and
. the HSE is refusing to say on which sites its Inspectors believe consents have been breached, or the name of companies involved [5].

From the information available it is almost certain that genetic pollution is being released into the environment, despite assurances from the Government that the technology is being closely policed.

Pete Riley, Food Campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said:
“Not enough is being done to protect the environment from experiments with genetically modified crops. HSE Inspections are inadequate, secretive and ineffective. Genetic pollution is almost certainly being released into the

environment. Records relating to previous alleged breaches are not even available to the HSE and the Government. It's a complete shambles.

“Of course, it's good news that the Government now accepts the potential dangers of GM crops and is considering a moratorium. It should be for at least five years as recommended by English Nature, and not three. But the shambles at the HSE shows that any trial crops grown during a moratorium must be limited to specific research projects, conducted by the Government and closely monitored”

The Government's biotech advisers ACRE (the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment) have previously operated a policy of “naming and shaming” companies that have failed to comply with consents. The rogues gallery includes [6] Monsanto, Nickerson Biocem, AgrEvo and the National Institute of Agricultural Botany. Consent breaches are alleged to have included: too small a buffer zone surrounding the crops, failure to implement measures to limit the escape of pollen, and the scattering of seed outside the designated area. Earlier this year ACRE's Chair, John Beringer, is reported as saying “I'm all for naming and shaming as this is worth many times more than fines”. The list of shame policy is currently being reconsidered.

[2] Letter from the HSE, 05/10/98.

[3] Of the 49 sites that have been monitored this year, it is the opinion of the inspector that consents have been breached in five cases. There is no indication from the HSE over the level of seriousness of these breaches.

[4] The HSE have monitored around 15% of the sites licensed so far this year. Last year they monitored 70 sites, or 36.4% of those sites licensed to conduct trials. However, it is possible that not all licensed sites will have grown crops.

[5] The HSE refused to give FOE information about the locations of breaches and the names of the company's that breached them under exemption 13 of the “code of practice on access to government information”. FOE is to write to Environment Minister, Michael Meacher, to challenge this refusal.

[6] As reported in New Scientist 4 April 1998.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust