The Welsh Assembly has set out a range of proposals to protect conventionally grown crops from contamination with genetically modified organisms.

Wales rural affairs minister Elin Jones announced a public consultation on the proposals to reinforce the assembly’s already restrictive policy on GM crops.

Ms Jones told the assembly that it was not legally possible to declare Wales GM-free but the country would continue to take a tough line on GMs.

“The intention is for co-existence [of GM and non-GM crops] to be tightly regulated in Wales. Our measures will be more restrictive than those proposed in England and Northern Ireland,” she said.

“We will include options for imposing strict liability on GM crop growers and introducing a voluntary industry-funded compensation scheme. Consideration may also be given to an option for a statutory redress.”

“We will seek views on GM-free zones and the desirability of a statutory prohibition on GM crop cultivation in all statutory conservation areas such as National Parks and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.”

Ms Jones proposed a GM register which would be available to the public and she added that GM crops would require registration with the Welsh assembly three months prior to planting.

“In addition to the implicit need for consultation with neighbours, in order to ensure compliance with separation distances, it is also proposed that there will be a statutory requirement to inform all neighbours and landowners.”

She proposed that record keeping should be a statutory requirement for GM producers, as would training for all on-farm handlers of GM crops, significant isolation distances between GM and non-GM crops, and buffer zones incorporating pollen barriers or traps.

Views would be sought on whether the present 0.1% default seed threshold should be retained, and Ms Jones promised to ensure that the assembly’s approach to GM would remain informed and took into account new and emerging evidence.