GM crops in court today
09 July 1998
GM crops in court today
By FWi staff
ORGANIC farmer Guy Watson is in the High Court in London today to challenge a Government decision allowing his neighbour to grow genetically modified maize.
Mr Watson, who farms near Totnes in Devon, fears that the nearby test plot of weedkiller-resistant GM maize could contaminate his organic sweetcorn crop.
The GM maize is two weeks away from flowering and Mr Watson wants the crop destroyed in case it cross-pollinates with the sweetcorn.
The pro-organic Soil Association, which is backing Mr Watsons claim, is monitoring the sweetcorn for any signs of contamination. If contamination is found, the crop could lose its organic status.
There are more than 330 GM test sites throughout the UK growing trial crops for 15 companies.