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 Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2003 7:45 pm Post subject: UK Government>s GM advisor calls for new contamination and l |
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Immediate Release: Tuesday 25 November 2003
GOVERNMENT’S GM ADVISOR CALLS FOR NEW CONTAMINATION AND LIABILITY LAWS
New laws must be introduced if GM crops are ever allowed to be
commercially grown in the UK, the Government’s main GM policy advisor
said today. This should include measures to prevent contamination from
GM crops and rules to enable farmers to claim compensation if it
occurs. Friends of the Earth has broadly welcomed the report, but
insists that biotech companies must be strictly liable for any harm
caused.
Today’s report by the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology
Commission (AEBC) also calls for changes to the Environmental
Protection Act so that the costs of cleaning up environmental damage
caused by GM crops would be charged to biotech companies, even if the
law has not been broken.
The main recommendations in the AEBC report include:
• Coexistence should be governed by legally binding protocols to meet
contamination thresholds
• GM commercial crops should be subject to a probationary period of
limited growing to test how effective the coexistence rules will be
• GM approvals could be suspended if coexistence rules break down and
consumer choice is compromised
• Farmers suffering contamination above the statutory threshold (0.9
%) should automatically be compensated
• Compensation from industry for environmental remediation costs
should be available to regulators irrespective of criminal liability
• Costs for remediation of diffuse impacts of GM (from an
unidentifiable source) could be chargeable to biotech companies
Friends of the Earth’s GM campaigner Pete Riley, said:
“The Government must not make the mistake of ignoring scientific
evidence and over-whelming public opinion and give the go-ahead to the
commercial growing of GM crops. But if it caves in to GM industry
pressure it must ensure that tough legislation is in place to allow
farmers and the public to grow and eat GM-free food”.
“We are pleased that the Government’s GM advisor has rejected
industry calls for a voluntary approach to controlling GM crops and
recognises that new laws would be needed to regulate coexistence and
liability. If GM crops are ever commercially grown in the UK, the
biotech industry must be forced to prevent GM contamination or
environmental damage, and be financially liable if they fail. The
AEBC’s recommendations set out a framework to make this happen.”
ENDS |
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