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GM Scientists Must Face Reality
31 October 2003
Friends of the Earth today accused scientists of being misleading in their letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair about the Government's handling of GM food and crops.
In their letter the scientists claim the GM Farm Scale Evaluations were intended to test the impact of "different types of weed control". But Friends of the Earth pointed out that the weed control methods studied in the trials were only possible as a result of the crops being genetically modified with genes from bacteria and viruses, creating weedkiller resistant crops.
The FSE examined the impact of the new GM crops ands associated weed killers with conventional weed killer regimes. Two out of three crops (beet and oilseed rape) were found to have a substantial impact on weed cover and on the birds and insects that rely on them for food and cover. The third (GM maize) was found to benefit biodiversity but the validity of the trials has been questioned.
Friends of the Earth Food and Farming Campaigner Pete Riley said:
"For the last six years the scientific community working on GM crops has failed to listen to public concerns which extend well beyond scientific issues and into economics, ethics and corporate influence. The Government's own Science Review highlighted gaps and uncertainties in our knowledge about the likely impact of GM crops and food on health and the environment.
"Following successive food scares, the public has a right to be cautious. And biotech scientists have failed to provide convincing evidence that GM crops do not pose a risk. These scientists must face up to the reality of public demand and concentrate on developing safe sustainable methods of producing food."
If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.
Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jun 2008
