Archived press release

Future of UK's first commercial GM crop in doubt

15 November 2000

Plans to allow a GM crop to be sold to farmers for the first time were plunged into doubt today when a £500,000 public hearing to consider objections to the proposal were indefinitely postponed. Alun Aylesbury, the senior barrister appointed by the Government to chair the hearing, agreed to a Government request for a delay after considering the views of people taking part. The hearing, which has so far lasted six weeks, was scheduled to run for nine.

The Government requested an indefinite postponement of the hearing [1] last week after it discovered that official basic tests on the GM crop, a type of GM maize called Chardon LL,had only been conducted for 1 year by the French authorities rather than the 2 required under EU law. The UK Government is now waiting for guidance from the EU Commission, as the defects in the French testing regime have serious EU-wide implications.

The revelation that test data hasn't met legal requirements only came to light after Friends of the Earth and members of the public forced the Government to hold a public hearing into the proposal to add Chardon LL to the National Seed List. During the hearing, expert scientific witnesses have produced evidence casting severe doubt over the validity of allowing the seed to be listed. They include concerns over the failure to test the GM maize on cows, and “suspicious” higher death rates among chickens eating the GM maize during trials.

Peter Riley GM campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:
“This is the latest chapter in the Government's comedy of GM errors. It would be funny if it wasn't so serious. If FOE and members of the public hadn't raised objections, this GM crop would now be commercially available to farmers. But even if this latest cock-up hadn't come to light the weight of scientific evidence against listing is overwhelming. The obvious solution now is for Aventis to concede defeat and withdraw its application.”

ENDS
[1] In April, the Government announced its intention to allow Chardon LL, which has been genetically modified to be resistant to Aventis' own herbicide, on to the national seed list. This is the final legal barrier before a seed can be sold to farmers. However, FOE discovered a little-known law which gave the public the right to appeal against the decision. Sixty seven groups and individuals paid £60 to have their objections heard in public, with hundreds more filing written objections (which cost £30). Aventis refused to produce any evidence at the hearing.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust