Archived press release

Government warns GM farmers over contamination threat

25 July 2003

British farmers who have previously grown GM oil seed rape as part of the Government's farm scale evaluations have been told that they mustn't grow conventional oil seed rape on the same land this autumn. The move follows fears that this might result in the non-GM rape suffering from significant levels of GM contamination.

A statement from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said today that "an analysis of the preliminary results of research commissioned by Defra...suggests that rape seeds from both conventional and GM varieties may persist in greater quantities in the ground than had previously been thought." Environment Minister Elliot Morley said; "There is concern that seeds remaining in the ground from the GM trial will germinate and that the harvested crop might exceed the new EU thresholds on GM free crops. Clearly, the farmers involved in the FSEs must not be disadvantaged."

The FSE farmers would be disadvantaged because:

• Consumers and food manufacturers throughout Europe do not want GM food ingredients;

• GM oil seed rape is not licensed for sale in the UK. However, a bizarre new EU rule allows up to 0.5 per cent GM contamination from a crop that has not been licensed in Europe. Above that level it would be illegal to sell it.

Advice offered by the EU's Scientific Committee on Plants in 2001 suggested that a five year gap should elapse between GM oilseed crops and non-GM seed production and that "volunteers may arise for up to 10 years, possibly longer" {1}

Friends of the Earth's GM campaigner Pete Riley said:

"GM farmers have been told not to grow conventional rape on fields where they have previously grown GM varieties because new evidence shows that this is likely to lead to significant levels of GM contamination which may make these crops unsaleable. But DEFRA's advice is far from precautionary because scientific evidence suggests seeds will persist in soil far longer. This is further proof of the damage that GM crops can cause, and another reason why the Government must not allow them to be commercially grown in the UK."

Notes

1. EC Scientific Commission on Plants Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Plants concerning the adventitious presence of GM seeds in conventional seeds SCP/GMO-SEED-CONT/002-FINAL 13 March 2001

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