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 Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2003 7:35 pm Post subject: Top GM food company abandons British crop trials |
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Top GM food company abandons British crop trials
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1051262,00.html
Robin McKie, science editor
Sunday September 28, 2003
The Observer
A key GM crop developer, Bayer, has decided to halt UK trials of
genetically modified plants. The move is seen as a major blow to the
industry. Bayer was the last company carrying out GM trials in the UK,
though it said yesterday it hoped to start up again soon when
conditions were 'more favourable'.
The company blamed Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett for its
decision. Her insistence that the locations of all trial sites be made
public had forced its hand, a spokesman told The Observer.
Until last week, Bayer CropScience, Bayer>s crop subsidiary. believed
it was close to a deal that would allow GM crop test sites - which are
regularly destroyed by protesters - to be kept secret. Instead of
having to publish exact map references for fields, companies would
only have to name the county in which it was holding a trial.
The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment had said this
vaguer notification was 'acceptable in terms of risk assessment',
while the police have always complained that explicit disclosure of
test site locations has been a major factor in aiding 'crop-trashers'.
But at the last minute the Department of Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra) told Bayer it would not support this change in
regulations.
'In the absence of any moves to ensure the security for trials, Bayer
CropScience has no choice, therefore, but to cease its variety trial
activities in the UK for this coming season,' said the official. 'It
is disappointing the criminal activities of a small minority of people
have prevented information on GM crop varieties being generated.'
Most GM crop trials carried out over the past few years have been
sabotaged, not only those of Bayer. Other companies have pulled out.
Now Bayer, the last to continue with them, has decided to call it a
day. The current 'brain drain' of UK agricultural scientists to the US
and Canada is now only likely to intensify.
The fact that companies also specifically blame Beckett for this
latest blow is particularly intriguing. Last week, a letter from
Beckett to her fellow Ministers said Britain should back EU laws that
ban all GM-free zones, a move that would give the go-ahead to the
commercial growing of GM crops here.
But as long as test GM trials are exposed to sabotage, the prospects
of commercial growing look remote. 'This is a back-door moratorium,'
said an industry source.
robin.mckie@observer.co.uk |
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