abc welcomes Government approval of GM crops

March 9th 2004. abc welcomes today’s announcement by Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett that gives the green light to the first commercial planting of GM crops in the UK.

abc Acting Chairman, Dr Julian Little, said:

“abc welcomes the Government’s decision. This informed and considered approach to GM crops comes after 25 years of the most intense research and testing throughout the world and 15 years of field trials in the UK including 4 years of farm scale evaluations.

“British farmers will shortly be on a level playing field with the 8 million farmers in other countries who choose to grow GM crops.

“abc looks forward to working with government and regulators to develop sensible, proportionate co-existence practices that, from 2005, will allow UK farmers the opportunity to choose from a full range of farming options.

“The Government’s decision is supported by a wealth of evidence including the findings of the Science Review, the Economic review, the Farm Scale Evaluations, ACRE recommendations and re-analysis of aspects of the FSEs published in Nature last week.” 

abc also welcomed today’s announcement by the British Medical Association (BMA) that ‘there is very little potential for GM foods to cause harmful health effects’ and ‘many of the concerns expressed apply with equal vigour to conventionally derived foods.’

- ENDS -

NOTES TO EDITORS

·       The Agricultural Biotechnology Council (abc) was set up in 2002 to provide a forum for the debate and education surrounding GM technology in the United Kingdom.

·       The members of abc are BASF, Bayer CropScience, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont, Monsanto and Syngenta. These companies are working together to promote a fair debate surrounding the production of GM crops and also to provide education about GM in the UK.

·       The Agricultural Biotechnology Council today also issued a press release on the BMA report also published today. That statement can be obtain via the below contacts or  the abc website.

FURTHER INFORMATION

· Tel Anna Shipley and Bernard Marantelli on 0207 395 8944 or 07909 521 949

· Email               enquiries@abcinformation.org

• Website               www.abcinformation.org