still strong
FW launches harvest time help service
Harvest is judgement day for the farms crops. Have the fungicides produced the promised yield enhancements? Did the pgr programme keep the crop standing? Has that crop tonic really worked? Will the milling wheat have the right protein content?
Every year farmers weekly keeps you up-to-date on how the campaign is progressing, region by region, crop by crop. This summer we will be doing more than ever and making regional information even easier to find.
• Researched Reports: For every region, every week, FW reporters conduct a thorough poll of growers. Information and comment is relayed in a clear, representative column.
• "In The Barn" A summary panel giving harvest progress at a glance for every region, % crop cut for each commodity and bullet points on yield and quality.
• On The Weighbridge With… Harvest insight from key players in the industry. To include features from: major farming companies, grain co-ops and merchants, plus seed producers.
• Harvest Hot-Line: Your opportunity to phone or fax the latest facts and figures from your farm. How do they compare with last year, or the five-year average?
• Pictures: FW photographers will be out taking the top shots of the harvest action across the nation. Have you a machine, crop, or technique we should see? Phone us to fix a visit.
Coverage starts in the Jul 16 issue of FW, and will spread north as the campaign progresses. Lets hope it is a smooth journey, with some bumper crops on the way. *
PRO
• "The anti brigade are making the most noise as usual." Farmer.
• "MPs should back British agriculture, instead of killing it with red tape." Farmer.
• "It seems that farmers are to be put back into the 19th century, while everyone else heads into the 21st." Farmer.
• "The GM issue is being used as a vehicle by pressure groups seeking publicity for themselves and as an opportunity to attack international companies." Farmer.
• "Luddites are not extinct." Farmer.
• "We must not miss out." Trade representative.
• "The sooner the better." Trade representative.
• "Let GM crops pass the test then they can be grown alongside the rest." Cambs farmer.
• "We can not stop technology but the GMs need a lot more testing etc before we grow and eat them." Aberdeen farmer.
• "Cant wait to grow it." Farmer.
• "People who destroy trial and demo plots should be dealt with severely – sued for the full costs. They make me very angry." Consultant.
• "We see amongst the anti-GM lobby the reincarnation of the vociferous single issue obsessive, protesting for protestings sake. Previous phobias have included multilateral nuclear disarmament and bloodsport. Sooner or later, aided and abetted by the media, some new issue will catch their attention and the focus will shift from GM crops. Hopefully, the protestors boredom threshold is low enough that farmers can soon get on with growing these potentially money saving crops before our overseas competitors have stolen too much of a march in their use." Consultant.
• "GM companies should retaliate much more strongly to the rubbish that is said, especially on the TV." Consultant.
• "I want GM oilseed rape now to compete on the world market and help me control my blackgrass." Farmer.
• "If you dont research, you dont know. If you dont know, you cant decide. Give science a fair chance." Cambs farmer.
• "We are falling between two stools at present. We neither have the advantages of the GM technology available to us, nor do we have the advantage of a ban, which would hopefully increase the use of European grown oil and protein crops. Is any European government going to ban the importation of GM products and risk a trade war with the US? I doubt it. Remember the bananas." Worcs farmer.
• "Monsanto tried the back door approach – now we must leave no door unopened in this debate." Norfolk farmer.
• "GM crops – be grown up and have a debate, not anarchy." Plant breeder.
• "GM crops could lead to lower pesticide use, which must be good for the environment. I think that the organic movement has hijacked the issue for its own gain." Farmer.
• "If pesticides can be cut out due to genetic modification it has to be good for farming. Thats green and thats good management." Herts farmer.
• "The availability of GM crops may have problems but it could lead to a great reduction of chemical use which the public would certainly support, but are totally unaware of. Are the organic boys worried that if spraying becomes a rarity it might destroy their market which has been carefully built on the back of scare stories." Farmer.
GM doubts
still strong
Over recent weeks, farmers
weekly invited you to have
your say about GM crops.
Over 520 responses flooded
in from all parts of the
industry. Charles Abel
examines the results and
relays some of the views
that were expressed
FOUR out of five farmers expect genetically modified crops to be grown in the UK one day. But almost half are currently against the technology and many want the introduction of GM varieties slowing while reliable, independent trials are conducted.
Those are the key findings from the farmers weekly GM Crops – Have Your Say initiative. A total of 329 farmers participated, plus 195 non-farmers, including consultants, students and trade representatives.
The 43% of growers against the technology, exactly mirrored the anti vote among non-farming resp-ondents The trend of similar scores held true for all the issues examined, suggesting uniformity of attitude across the farming industry.
Despite the high anti-GM vote almost two-thirds of respondents thought the use of GM varieties overseas placed UK growers at a competitive disadvantage on world markets.
Two-thirds also thought the governments handling of the GM debate had been poor, just 20% commending their efforts. A similar picture emerged on regulations – 59% saying the current GM regulations were inadequate.
Companies were slammed for being too pushy by 62% of participants, although 25% thought they had been too quiet.
The NFU also came in for criticism, although not as much as the companies. Although almost half of the voters said it was about right with its GM stance, 42% said it was too pro-GM.
Most voters wanted companies and the NFU to explain the technology more clearly and to seek greater public support before commercialising crops.
And 56% of respondents had no idea what the Supply Chain Initiative on Modified Agricultural Crops was. Of those that did, two-thirds said it was not doing its job well. *
If GM varieties are launched commercially in the UK, how should growers manage them? The answers are in the first growers guide to GM crop management published this week in Crops magazine. The booklet details the government-backed voluntary guidelines of the Supply Chain Initiative on Modified Agricultural Crops. Those set out separation distances, agronomy recommendations and post-harvest management. Copies priced £5 are available from Crops, RBI, Quadrant House, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS or SCIMAC (01733-231133).
ANTI
• "How many billions do GM companies have in insurance?" Ex-farmer.
• "Public confidence is the greatest concern – they have lost trust in the scientists." Oxford consultant.
• "Only GM companies will gain – not farmers or the public or the third world or the environment." Farmer.
• "Genetic snowball did a good job at Cereals 99." Farmer.
• "It is crazy to modify crops when we do not know the outcome. I would be pleased if it all ended now." Trade representative.
• "An anti-GM stance would give UK farming a competitive edge against US domination." Farmer.
• "Bend nature, dont snap it." Student.
• "GM seed – it does what they dont write on the packet." Student.
• "If God couldnt get it right, how come the scientists can?" Trade representative.
• "However "safe" GMOs prove to be, the public dont want them. Science said thalidomide was "safe"!" Consultant.
• "Dont mix politics with science, it never works." Farmer.
• "Where there is doubt – stop! There is no way back." Ex-farmer.
• "After BSE, British arable farmers have missed a great commercial opportunity to be "clean"." Farmer.
• "Debate and research on GM crops in the UK needs to be extended for many more years before commercial adoption." Reading non-farmer.
• "The whole GM debate just fills me with horror. It should be put to the whole country to vote on it." Lancs farmer.
• "We want to sell quality food, and make an honest living, not line the pockets of the chemical parasites!" Farmer.
• "We have followed "scientific" guidelines in the past – BSE." South-east Wales farmer.
• Farmers, once again, will be blamed if/when problems arise." Farmer.
• "GM crops are simply a device by which multi-nationals can control farmers and the food chain." Dorset farmer.
• "Dont submit to the Yanks." Farmer.
• "Science causes as many problems as it solves." Farmer.
• "Farmers are already genetically modified. They contain donkey genes, follow any carrot and Border collie genes, roll over and let anyone scratch their bellies. Both add up to the self destruction of our industry." Farmer.
• "We want no truck with GM crops. Imports of GM soya and maize should be banned." Farmer.
• "GM – Growers mistake." Essex farmer.
• "A lot of genetically modified hot air is being blown about like pollen in the wind." Norfolk farmer.
• "GM – gigantic mistake." Kent trade representative.
• "Dont know it? Dont grow it!" Cambridge non-farmer.
• "We need to fit farming to our customers. Thanks to the NFU we have a public relations disaster." Farmer.
• "We are being bounced into GM by the American companies and government." Shropshire farmer.
• "EU countries appear to have no answer to the US and others who are demanding we take their GM crops without question." East Anglian grower.
• "GM – grow more, eat less." Essex farmer.
• "GM – God move over, its our turn!" Lincs farmer.
• "GM – good money, for Monsanto." Shropshire consultant.
• "Dont forget the golden rule – the customer has the gold, therefore they rule." Glos farmer.