Archived press release

Government ignores MPs on GM crops

20 October 2004

A new report today reveals that the Government is to ignore concerns raised by a Select Committee of MPs over GM contamination and liability [1]. Instead, the Government gave its clearest indication yet that it is preparing to allow widespread GM contamination of non-GM crops and food - including organics. It also made clear that it will do nothing to help establish GM Free areas.

Today's report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee publishes the Government's reply to the EFRA Select Committee's recommendations and reveals that:

• The Government is preparing to allow widespread GM contamination of non-GM crops and foods, including organics. It says that "aiming for zero [GM contamination] is unrealistic" [2], despite the fact that nearly two thirds of the British public support tough new laws to prevent GM crops contaminating our food and farming [3].

• Over 60 local authorities in the UK want to keep their areas GM-free [4] and the Select Committee recommended that the Government consider mandatory GM free zones. But the Government has said that it "does not support changing EU law to make them an option".

• The Government will not include environmental liability in its GM crop "coexistence" consultation. It says that the issue will be addressed as part of a consultation on the Environmental Liability Directive. However, loopholes in the Directive mean that damage from GM crops will not be covered.

Friends of the Earth's GM Campaigner Clare Oxborrow said

"Once again the Government has ignored the democratic process in its desperation to push GM crops onto the British public. Serious concerns raised by the public, local authorities and now a Select Committee of MPs have simply been ignored. The Government should think again before allowing widespread GM contamination of our crops and food, and instead do all it can to protect our food, farming and environment."

Notes

[1] Today's report contains the Government response to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee report which raised concerns over the implications of allowing GM crops to be commercially grown in the UK.

The original EFRA Committee report (July 2004)

Today's Government response can be obtained from Friends of the Earth.

[2] The Government coexistence consultation aims to put in place measures to allow GM crops to "coexist" with conventional crops. The measures will be designed to allow GM contamination up to the level set out in the EU labelling threshold of 0.9 per cent. Friends of the Earth believes that much stricter measures should be put in place to protect farmer and consumer choice that aim to eliminate

GM contamination to lowest detectable levels, currently agreed to be 0.1per cent.

[3] Scarecrows Lobby Parliament to Keep Fields GM-free

[4] www.gmfreebritain.com

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust