Government must not fall for GM hype - Friends of the Earth Scotland

Government must not fall for GM hype

19 June 2008
Topics: Other

Today’s revelation that the UK Government is looking for ways to grow GM crops in Britain in the wake of rising food prices around the world [1] has been condemned by Friends of the Earth Scotland. The environment group accuses Ministers of falling for the GM industry’s hype and ignoring its damaging track record. The move comes after the Environment Minister, Phil Woolas, reportedly met with the GM industry’s lobby group last night.

In the UK, a national GM debate concluded that 85% of the public didn’t want GM crops grown in this country and 95% rejected Government proposals on weak rules for growing GM crops in England [2]. Furthermore, the Government-sponsored farm scale trials of GM crops found that two out of three GM crops grown were more damaging to farmland wildlife than growing conventional equivalents.

There is no evidence that GM crops will help tackle the food crisis. There are many complex causes including commodity speculation, the global rush for biofuels and the underlying unfair trade system [3]. GM crops do not increase average yields and there are no GM drought-tolerant or salt-tolerant crops on the market. Most GM crops grown around the world are grown in intensive monocultures, have resulted in a massive increase in pesticide use, and are used for animal feed - not food.

Last week the Government signed up to the UN International Agriculture Assessment [4] which saw no clear role for GM crops in tackling global food needs. The report was so lukewarm over GM crops that the biotech industry pulled out of the process last year [5], and the US has refused to sign up to the final document.

Duncan McLaren, Chief Executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:

“The UK Government has been seriously misled if it thinks that GM crops are going to help tackle the food crisis - GM crops do not increase yields or tackle hunger and poverty.

“In the UK, the public have rejected GM food and extensive trials have showed that GM crops are more damaging for farmland wildlife than their conventional equivalents.

“Instead of helping the GM industry to use the food crisis for financial gain, the Government should be encouraging a radical shift towards sustainable farming systems that genuinely benefit local farmers, communities and the environment worldwide.”

"We're heartened to see that the Scottish Government has taken a strong anti-GM stance, and that they understand the negative impact GM foods could have on Scotland's reputation for high quality produce."

ENDS

NOTES

[1]        http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/gm-crops-needed-in-britain-says-minister-849991.html At today’s EU leader’s summit in Brussels, the Prime Minister will also propose a ‘six-point plan’ to tackle food prices which includes "improving the EU regulatory regime for GM organisms". This is expected to involve weakening EU laws to allow contamination with unapproved GM material.

[2]          The GM Nation? public debate in 2003: http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/national_debate_rejects_gm.html and the responses to the GM ‘coexistence’ consultation in England:http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/anger_over_governmemt_gm_c_13112007.html

[3]        See Friends of the Earth’s media briefing on the food crisis: http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/media_briefing/food_crisis.pdf

And Who Benefits Report showing GM crops have failed to tackle hunger and poverty and lead to a massive increase in pesticide use:http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/gm_crops_increase_pesticid_13022008.html

[4]        http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080609/wmstext/80609m0001.htm

IAASTD global press release: http://www.agassessment.org/docs/Global_Press_Release_final.doc

[5]        http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v451/n7176/full/451223b.html
[6]         For more information about Friends of the Earth Scotland see http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk

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