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Welsh organic farmers oppose transgenic trials near their farms (May 11, 2001 – Cropchoice
news) – One transgenic test
trial has been postponed
indefinitely in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, activists, including farmers, are working to shut down another.
The company contracting to run a trial on a farm in Pembrokeshire and the landowner who had allowed it in the end relented to pressure to stop it.
This comes as good news to the Welsh Assembly, which has been working to keep Wales free of transgenic crops. Organic farmers also oppose the trials for fear that pollen from trial plots would contaminate their crops.
Another trial is under attack, this one in Warwickshire. Cropchoice presents here a transcript of comments that UK Environment Minister Michael Meacher made to the BBC on Monday about the controversy surrounding possible transgenic crop trials near the largest organic agriculture research center in Europe.
Presenter (Sue MacGregor): "The decision to allow an officially-sanctioned trial of
genetically-modified maize close to Europe's largest research centre for
organic crops - that's in Warwickshire - is a truly catastrophic one -
according to environmentalists. The Environment Minister, Michael Meacher,
is making an unprecedented effort to stop the trial even though his own
department announced that it could go ahead a month ago. The trial is
due to begin this week.
"Michael Meacher is on the phone. It does seem a bit odd that this trial was
passed?"
Michael Meacher MP: "Well, it is the responsibility of SCIMAC, which is the farm
biotechnology group, in negotiation with the farmers to produce a pool of
sites for GM cultivation, from which the research contractors and the
Scientific Steering Committee which oversees the GM trials then make their
selection to meet their research requirements. I didn't make the choice and
neither I nor the Scientific Steering Committee knew that this GM site was
near the research centre when it was given the go-head."
Presenter: "So what exactly have you asked them to do in the letter that you have
sent?"
Michael Meacher MP: "Well, I'm asking the Scientific Steering Committee, who as I say are
overseeing the trials, and SCIMAC, the biotechnology group in the farming
industry, and the local farmer to drop this GM site and find an alternative
one. Because it does threaten the Henry Doubleday Research Centre near Ryton
in Warwickshire, as you've said. That is Europe's largest research centre
for organic crops. It has a world-wide reputation and, if it were
allowed to go ahead, the GM pollen could cross-pollinate with three crops of organic
sweet-corn that are grown at Ryton and that, in turn, could contaminate the
seed-bank. Any trace of GM - this is the real point - any trace of GM in the
research centre's fields could lead to the loss of licence from the Soil
Association to grow organic crops. That would be a disaster."
Presenter: "...one of the strongest arguments always against GM crop trials is
that they might contaminate nearby crops, isn't it? And now you yourself
seem to be saying this proximity is unacceptable? So..."
Michael Meacher MP: "There has to be an adequate distance. In this case, it is about two
miles from the proposed GM site. Now the current separation distance
used by SCIMAC for maize crops like this one is only two hundred metres and, whilst
it is true that farming experience suggests that in normal conditions some
99% of GM pollen will settle within that distance, in unusual conditions of
high winds, pollen grains can go much, much further."
Presenter: "And you feel these could be unusual conditions?"
Michael Meacher MP: "Well, we've been having unusual conditions with increasing
frequency in this country and the problem is that a GM field can produce
tens of millions of pollen grains and, even if only a smaller proportion of
O.1% was blown one or two miles, that would still amount to hundreds of
thousands of GM pollen grains."
Presenter: "It sounds as if you're saying that GM crops now are something you
can't give your wholehearted support to - the trials?"
Michael Meacher MP: "No, I'm not saying that. I am actually giving my wholehearted
support to seeing these trials through. We desperately need, in this
country, to have a test..."
Presenter: "But you'll have to ask them to move, won't you?"
Michael Meacher MP: "Well in this case - after all we have got the whole of England and
Wales - the fact is in this case there are about 100 sites this year. It is
perfectly possible, in my view, to find an alternative site. The problem is
that neither EU nor UK legislation allows a decision to be made on the basis
that it damages the interests of adjacent farmers and I think that is a huge
gap in the regulations."
Presenter: "So if they go ahead anyway - as they say they will - and plant, you
won't be able to do anything, will you?"
Michael Meacher MP: "Well, I do have the powers to stop the cultivation if it can be
shown that GM crops are a risk to human health or would damage the
environment and certainly there are three, I think, ways out of this. We
need either a liability provision in law whereby a GM farmer - or any other
kind of farmer - is made statutorily liable for any damage caused to
neighbouring farmers - we are working on that - or we need separation
distances negotiated, large enough to be broadly acceptable to both GM and
conventional and organic farmers - and that, of course could be well in
excess of current separation distances. Or, thirdly, the law needs to be
tested as to whether damage to the environment could be construed as meaning
damage to the crops of nearby farmers - there is some legal uncertainty
here."
Presenter: "Well, we shall watch the position with interest. Michael Meacher,
thanks very much."
Source: BBC
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