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Archived press release

Latest Government GM spin: FOE's five tests

27 October 1999

Friends of the Earth today challenged the Government to impose a real moratorium on GM crops. The call follows speculation that the Government is preparing a new announcement on GM food. This may extend the one year voluntary so-called moratorium on commercial growing previously negotiated with SCIMAC, the biotech industry body, for a further three years.

Friends of the Earth's “five tests” for the Government's announcement are:

1.    Call a minimum 5 year moratorium to enable the need for GM food and crops to be publically debated, key research on food safety to be carried out and to develop a regulatory system which genuinely involves the general public.
2.    Abandon the farm-scale trials because of the risk of cross pollination with neighbouring crops and wild relatives of the crop
3.    Suspend any proposal to put GM seeds on to the National Seed List - for example the seed listing of AgrEvo's GM maize intended for February
4.    Abstain or vote against any applications to market GM foods at an EU level. This Friday (29 October) the EU will vote on whether to allow 3 new GM foods onto the market.
5.    troduce a new law which places strict liability for any harm caused by GM crops or food on biotechnology companies.

Liana Stupples, Campaigns Director of Friends of the Earth said:

“The Government has announced more policy shifts in this area than Mr Blair has had GM hot dinners. The latest spin about an extended moratorium may not be the good news it appears. The devil is in the detail. The public are rightly concerned about the possible threat GM crops pose to health and the environment. If the Government doesn't meet our five tests, that concern will only grow.”