Green Campaigners Could Condemn Britain
To A Chemical Future
To A Chemical Future
London -- March 12th 2000 -- Environmental campaigners will condemn Britain to a chemical future if they have their way over GM crops.The warning comes as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace mobilise their activists to demonstrate against 70 or so farm-scale trial sites, to be announced shortly by the DETR."GM crops can help to reduce British agriculture's over-dependence on chemical herbicides and pesticides," said Dr. Guy Poppy, an ecologist with the Institute of Arable Crops Research and a member of the CropGen panel. "If we are not allowed to develop alternative agricultural practices, the effect on wildlife and the environment could be devastating," he said. "Whilst organic farming provides an alternative with its lower use of pesticides, it alone cannot provide a sustainable food supply for the UK population. GM crops hold one of the best hopes we have for not only preserving but enhancing diversity in the countryside." Already there is evidence from last year's limited trials in the UK that GM sugar beet requires about 30% less herbicide compared with conventional sugar beet.1 CropGen welcomes the proposed farmscale trials which will provide additional UK evidence on the effects, if any, of GM crops on bio-diversity."We have to expose the hypocrisy of organisations which call for more research into the safety of GM crops, as they destroy the very evidence they demand must be collected," said Professor Vivian Moses, chairman of the CropGen panel.In a pro-forma press release issued to its activists around the country, Friends of the Earth instructs local spokespeople to say that "no-one wants to eat GM foods.""A recent NOP poll* found that almost half the UK population would quite happily eat GM foods and ingredients," said Professor Moses. "So the evidence points in a different direction, but then evidence - like democracy - doesn't seem to figure very large on the campaigners' horizon." (Editor's Notes:
The Scientific Steering Committee of the DETR met on 10th March to decide
where the next UK farmscale GM trials will be conducted. It is expected
that roughly 70 sites will be given the go ahead to grow GM sugar beet, rape or fodder maize.The seeds that will be planted in these farmscale trials have already been rigorously tested according to the regulations developed by the DETR. They have also been approved by regulatory bodies, including ACRE (the Government Advisory Committee on Releases into the Environment) designed specifically to consider their potential impact the environment.Not all trials can be conducted in a contained environment, as the effects of a variety of factors (i.e. the wind, local wildlife, and farming practice) also play a critical role. The effects of these can only be determined in the 'wild'. It is important to appreciate, though, the number of stringent tests and assessments that precede these trials. CropGen welcomes the proposed farmscale trials which will provide much needed UK evidence on the effects, if any, of GM crops on bio-diversity.)
References:
1. Dewar, A M (2000) Pest Management Science 56 (4), 345 *All the data from the NOP survey are available on request. NOP conducted a telephone survey of 1007 adults aged 15+ years, on 22-23rd February 2000 For more information: CropGen is an information initiative designed to make the case for crop biotechnology. It is funded by industry but operates independently of it. For media enquiries please contact Penny Hawley, Naomi Grant or Steve Marinker at Countrywide Porter Novelli on 07720 277143 or 0207 853 2393. An information line (0845 602 1793) and a website are also available for more information on CropGen.
--FoodBiotechNet provides weekly updates and science-based perspectives on issues related to food biotechnology. It is a central, credible forum to facilitate information sharing and exchange of scientific perspectives among scientists, opinion leaders and expert communicators on breaking stories, research and other information relating to food biotechnology. FoodBiotechNet is a partnership of the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (www.cast-science.org), the Georgetown Center for Food and Nutrition Policy (www.ceresnet.org) and the International Food Information Council (ificinfo.health.org).
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Martina McGloughlin Ph. (530) 752-3260 Director Fx. (530) 752-4125 Life Sciences Informatics Program Director Biotechnology Program 355 Briggs Hall UC Davis e-mail: mmmcgloughlin@ucdavis.edu One Shields Avenue Davis, CA 95616 http://lsi.ucdavis.edu http://www.biotech.ucdavis.edu %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%