Minister believes GM food unnecessary
27 April 1999
Minister believes GM food ‘unnecessary’
By FWi staff
JUNIOR Agriculture Minister Jeff Rooker said yesterday that he believed genetically modified (GM) crops are “unnecessary”.
But the governments role is to make sure GM food is safe to eat rather than to ban it completely, he added.
Mr Rooker was speaking to MPs at the House of Commons Committee
Mr Rooker denied newspaper reports that resistance to antibiotics could be passed on to bacteria in human stomachs, making people more vulnerable to diseases.
He insisted there was no risk of the resistant strain of maize genes being passed on through animal feed to meat, milk and eggs.
A bid by British scientists to ban genetically modified (GM) plants containing antibiotic-resistant genes has been overruled by the European Commission.
- The Herald 27/04/99 page 7