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Royal society raises GM crop doubts
27 May 2003
Friends of the Earth today urged the Royal Society to oppose the commercial development of GM crops after it accepted that this may result in "potentially harmful effects over a long period."
The Royal Society today (Tuesday) said that the Government should "introduce long-term monitoring of the ecological impact of GM crops if commercial planting goes ahead in the UK." Royal Society vice-president Professor Patrick Bateson said that: "if the decision is taken to allow commercial planting of GM crops, it is essential that regulators in both the UK and EU monitor the environmental impact to pick up any potentially beneficial or harmful effects over a long period. It will not be enough to make best estimates at the start and then assume that everything will turn out as expected."
The scientific reports from the Government-sponsored Farm Scale Evaluations of GM herbicide tolerant crops will be published in the autumn. But these trials will not provide a comprehensive review of the impacts that GM crops have on wildlife and the environment. A report published by DEFRA in late 2002, indicated that "landscape-scale" trials would be needed over several years before the implications of cross-pollination from GM crops to non-GM crops and wild relatives could be fully understood.
Friends of the Earth has consistently highlighted the economic and environmental problems that may arise from full-scale commercial growing of GM crops. It is widely accepted that inter-crop cross-pollination will be inevitable. As a result Friends of the Earth launched its GM-free Britain [1] campaign in October 2002.
Friends of the Earth's GM campaigner Pete Riley said:
"If the Royal Society has concerns about the potential environmental impacts of GM crops it should oppose their commercial development. Long term monitoring will not prevent damage that has already been caused. Biotech companies must not be allowed to turn our countryside into one huge outdoor experiment."
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jun 2008
