Archived press release

Ministers try to stop GM food labels

1 June 2003

The Government's controversial GM public debate, which begins on Tuesday, was undermined still further today following reports [1] that Ministers want to "kill off plans by Brussels to bring in a comprehensive regime for labelling genetically modified foods."

Today's report says leaked cabinet papers reveal that the Government fears "negative fallout" from Washington if they back European plans to tighten GM food labels aimed at allowing consumers to choose whether or not to eat GM food.

The Government is known to be unhappy with EU proposals to tighten the labelling of food containing ingredients from GM crops [2]. Currently food containing an ingredient with at least one per cent of GM DNA must be labelled. The new European proposals would strengthen the legislation by reducing the GM threshold, increasing the scope of the legislation to include derivatives from GM crops (such as oils which don't contain DNA), and extending it to include animal feed. The UK Government is particularly opposed to reducing the GM threshold below 1 per cent and the labelling of derivatives.

Public opposition to GM food and crops remains high. In October 2002, an NOP survey revealed that 57 per cent did not want the Government to allow GM crops to be commercially grown across the UK. The previous month a poll for The Grocer found that 58 per cent would avoid products containing GM ingredients. And in April 2003, a MORI poll showed that 56 per cent opposed GM food, compared to a paltry one in seven (14 per cent) who support it. Furthermore, 70% of the European public don't want GM food and 94% want to be able to choose whether or not they eat it (Eurobarometer 2001).

Government's GM public debate

The Government's controversial national debate on GM crops begins on Tuesday 3 June [3,4]. Although the Government says it will take account of the debate's outcomes when making future policy decisions on GM issues, recent Government comments give Friends of the Earth grave concerns that the debate may just be for show.

Environment Minister Michael Meacher said last month [5] that GM crops may be given commercial approval even if public opinion continues to be opposed. A decision on commercialisation is expected shortly after the debate's conclusions are published in September.

The aim of the debate has never been clear - is it a genuine attempt to gauge public opinion to guide the Government's decisions on commercialisation or is it just window dressing? Doubts were further raised in July 2002, when an unnamed Government minister was reported in the press as saying that the Government had already made up its mind to commercialise GM crops. The debate would merely be "a PR offensive" [6].

The independence of the debate was again questioned when DEFRA insisted that the Government's Central Office of Information should be involved in planning and running the debate.

Local authorities and the Welsh National Assembly have also raised objections to GM as a result of concerns over potential impacts on health, the environment and the livelihoods of farmers and beekeepers. Wales, Devon, Dorset, Lancashire, Cornwall, Warwickshire and South Gloucestershire have all taken action to go GM-free. This includes taking steps to stop tenant farmers growing GM crops, and banning GM food from local food services such as school meals and residential homes. Some authorities have also pledged to write to the Government and Brussels applying, under new European laws, to be excluded from growing certain GM crops. The actions result from Friends of the Earth's GM-Free Britain campaign which was launched last year. See www.gmfreebritain.com

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

"Government opposition to comprehensive labelling for GM food makes a complete nonsense of its claims of being neutral on this issue. It will also undermine its GM public debate which begins next week. The public has repeatedly said that it doesn't want GM food or GM crops. But the Government seems more concerned about not upsetting the United States and interests of the big biotech firms rather than listening to consumers."

"People should use the public debate to tell the Government that they do not want GM food, and that GM crops must not be commercially grown in the UK. These crops potentially pose a long-term threat to our food, farming and the environment. But the Government must also make it clear that this debate is more than a PR exercise by promising to refuse to allow GM crops to be commercially grown if that's what the public want."

People unable to attend GM debate meetings can make their views known to the Government at www.gmnation.org.uk or they can write to GM Nation? The Public Debate, PO Box 44431, London SE1 7YW or call 020 7215 6508.

Pro-GM pressure has recently been exerted by the US administration. In May 2003 it filed a WTO complaint over Europe's de-facto moratorium on awarding new GM licenses (briefing available from Friends of the Earth).

Notes

[1] Sunday Times, 1 June 2003

[2] see: www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/government_urges_meps_to_v.html

[3]. A Government press conference will be held in London, followed by the first regional debate in Birmingham later the same day. The debate website is: www.gmnation.org.uk

[4] A background briefing on the GM Nation is available

[5]. In an interview with Farming Today on 19 May, Michael Meacher claimed that a ban on GM crops would be illegal unless there was scientific proof that they harmed people or the environment. Friends of the Earth says that there is scientific proof. For example pollen from GM crops can travel up to three miles, polluting neighbouring organic and conventional crops, honey and plant relatives. See: www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/government_may_ignore_publ.html

[6] Daily Telegraph and FT. (9 July 2002)

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