Farming – A top issue of 2001
19 December 2001
Farming – ‘A top issue of 2001’
By Adrienne Francis
FOOT-and-mouth and genetically modified crops were two of the most contentious issues of the year, according to a national newspaper.
The Guardian Society section reviews the environmental crises of the past 12 months, describing 2001 as a year of “promises and pyres”.
The feature article shows a large cartoon captioned: “This years panto: Jack and 125m acres of genetically modified beanstalk”.
It shows two Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs officers cloaked in biosecurity suits poised to shoot a cow on its front haunches.
The paper says the government responded to foot-and-mouth “too slowly at first and then, too late, with a hammer”.
“Not all is well” with the future for genetically modified crops either. “Many courts are developing a tendency to find crop-pullers not guilty,” it adds.