Advanta accuses Whitehall
8 June 2000
Advanta accuses Whitehall
SENIOR civil servants told the company which sold farmers genetically modified seed by mistake that the initial scare was not serious.
The Guardian reports that Mike Ruthven, general manager of Advanta Seeds, was sent away by Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of the Environment officials and told not to worry.
Now Advanta faces compensation claims for an estimated 3m from the 600 farmers who had to destroy their crops after inadvertently sowing up to 4700 hectares (11,000 acres) of GM-tainted oilseed rape.
Mr Ruthven said he first alerted Whitehall on April 19 but was told by civil servants there was no danger and not to say anything until the government conducted its own tests.
On the basis of this advice Mr Ruthven decided not to take further action informing farmers or seed merchants.
As a precautionary measure he had already stopped supplying seed to merchants.
A Department of the Environment spokeswoman said they did take the issue seriously and could not understand why Mr Ruthven thought otherwise.