Gene crop trial sites named
28 February 2001
Gene crop trial sites named
By Isabel Davies
THE government has published the locations of 58 trial sites for genetically modified crops which are due to be planted this spring.
Farm-scale GM fodder-beet trials will be sown on 26 farms in England. A further 27 trials of GM spring oilseed rape will also be grown in England.
In addition, GM rape trials are planned for five sites on four farms in Scotland. Those sites must first be approved by Scottish ministers.
Further sites for spring maize are expected to be announced in the week commencing 26 March, according to a government statement.
The purpose of the trials is to prove whether herbicide-tolerant crops were detrimental to wildlife, and not about the safety of GM technology, he added.
“All the evidence collected will be sifted by an independent Scientific Steering Committee,” said environment minister Michael Meacher.
“The results [will be] made public at the end of the trials so that they can be peer-reviewed and fully examined by any member of the public.”
Depending on weather and soil conditions, it is thought that the sowing of the GM rape will start from mid- to late March through to April.
Beet drilling is expected to start from the end of March and it is understood that the maize trials will be planted from the end of April.
Peter Riley, GM campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said the GM trials would lead to widespread contamination of the countryside.
“Separation distances are entirely inadequate, and GM contamination will creep into our food,” he said.
“These crops threaten the livelihoods of those meeting the massive demand for GM-free food. They also represent a long-term risk to the environment.”
But Roger Turner, chairman of the Supply Chain Initiative on Modified Agricultural Crops, claimed there was widespread support for the trials.
“This independent study will provide valuable information about the comparative biodiversity effects of GM and non GM-crops.
“There is widespread support for farm-scale trials in ensuring sound decisions about GM crops and their role in British agriculture.”
- Details of the location of all GM crop sites within the farm-scale evaluation programme are available at the Department of the Environment website