Archived press release

Illegal GM contamination threat

28 July 2003

The Government's GM advisors have revealed that farmers who grow conventional oil seed rape on land where GM oil seed rape has previously been grown are likely to produce crops that are so heavily contaminated with GM material that it would be unlawful to sell them in Europe.

Minutes released by the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment [ACRE] [1], reveal that after two years farmer that have taken part in the GM trials "could legally plant conventional rape but in doing so it would not be possible to control GM volunteers. Preliminary results from new research had shown that up to 5% of the crop which emerges could be GM volunteers, thus making it potentially unlawful to market the crop." GM oil seed rape is not licensed for sale in the UK. EU rules 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.

On Friday, the Government issued a press statement [2] saying that farmers that have taken part in the Farm Scale Evaluations of GM crops had been warned not to grow conventional oil seed rape this on land where a GM variety had previously been grown in the coming planting season commencing next month. The release neglected to mention that the crops produced risked GM contamination levels ten times more than legally allowed.

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"

Friends of the Earth has written to the Government to ask:

• How many years should elapse before it is safe to grow conventional oil seed rape on land that has hosted GM oil seed rape trials;

• What measures have been taken to ensure that GM oil seed rape has not been, and will not be, grown on land that has also hosted GM oil seed rape trials, but not as part of the GM farm scale evaluations. Experimental crops have been grown on huge tracts of land, sometimes bigger than FSE trials, since 1997.

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

"Fields where GM oil seed rape has been grown are so heavily contaminated that farmers won't be able to grow conventional oil seed rape in them for years to come. If they do they are likely to produce crops that can't legally be sold in Europe. The Government must take steps to ensure that all farmers that have grown GM oil seed rape, and not just the ones that have taken part in the farm scale trials, are banned from planting rape in these heavily polluted fields.

"This news highlights the threat GM crops pose to our food, farming and environment. The Government must not allow GM crops to be commercially grown in the UK

Notes

1. ACRE minutes: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/acre/meetings/03/030703m.htm

MINUTES OF THE 90th MEETING OF ACRE, THURSDAY 3 JULY 2003

5.2 Cultivation of oilseed rape on Farm Scale Evaluations sites

Based on scientific understanding at the time, the consent under which oilseed rape has been grown in the FSEs prohibited farmers from growing conventional oilseed rape on a site for 2 years after an FSE trial has taken place there. After the 2 years the farmer could legally plant conventional rape but in doing so it would not be possible to control GM volunteers. Preliminary results from new research had shown that up to 5% of the crop which emerges could be GM volunteers, thus making it potentially unlawful to market the crop. No farmers involved in the FSEs have yet planted conventional rape. The proposed response was that on a precautionary basis the farmers involved would be informed of the implications of these initial findings and that accordingly they should avoid growing OSR in the FSE sites until the research was finalised and there was greater clarity on adventitious thresholds in light of the new traceability and labelling regulations and progress towards decisions on the commercial cultivation of GM OSR. A paper would be circulated to ACRE on the implications of this for future part B applications. Current consents could be varied to allow for a longer gap between GM and conventional plantings but it would be difficult to do this without risk basis. The Secretariat is seeking legal advice.

2. www.defra.gov.uk/news/2003/030725d.htm

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."

3. 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}

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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