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GM farm suffers from rhizomania

- 16 June 2000
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16 June 2000



GM farm suffers from rhizomania

By FWi staff

CAMPAIGNERS are calling for a farm which has suffered from the sugar-beet disease rhizomania to withdraw from a trial of genetically modified crops.

The soil-borne disease, which requires special quarantine measures, was found in sugar beet growing on Sunnymead Farm, Wivenhoe, Essex.

Environmentalists want the farm to abandon its trial of GM maize, claiming the disease could spread elsewhere through soil on vehicles coming off the farm.

The farm is one of 12 testing GM maize. Scrapping the trial would take the number of sites below the figure scientists say is needed to make the trials robust.

The biotech company Aventis, which is running the trial, said there was no reason to abandon the site, partly because rhizomania doesnt affect maize.

Farmer Jim Dutton said he had destroyed beet and restricted movements on and off his farm. The GM trial was on the other side of the farm, he added.

Ministry of Agriculture officials said there was no risk of the disease spreading and could not see what it had to do with the farm-scale trials.

Meanwhile, anti-GM activists claim to have destroyed or tampered with up to nine GM testing plots, although not those involved in the farm-scale trials.

Biotechnology companies developing GM crops have condemned the intimidation farmers hosting trials have faced from anti-GM groups.

The European Commission is proposing member states can temporarily allow contamination of conventional seeds by up to 0.5% GM material.

This figure – half the tolerance wanted by seed manufacturers – would apply until permanent levels were decided, reports The Guardian.

In another development, three protesters have been fined after digging up GM oilseed rape and dumped it at the head office of biotech company AgrEvo.

The GM rape was removed from a field at Royston, Hertfordshire and dumped at AgrEvos office near Kings Lynn, Norfolk.

Rowan Tilley, 42, Martin Shaw, 35, and Jo Hamilton, 27, had denied the charge of aggravated trespass, reported The Times.

Cambridge magistrates fined Mr Shaw and Ms Hamilton 125 with 125 costs. Ms Tilley was fined 250 with 250 costs.

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