Organic news archive: February 2004
GM news: The Government has agreed in principle to allow GM herbicide tolerant maize to be grown in the UK but has opposed the introduction of GM beet and oilseed rape. The crop will initially only be grown for a limited period, as its EU marketing consent expires in October 2006. The Government said that it will consult with stakeholders for providing compensation to non-GM farmers who suffer financial loss, and that a compensation scheme would need to be funded by the biotechnology sector. The Government will provide advice to farmers interested in establishing GM-free zones and will explore whether a lower threshold than the current 0.9% can be introduced for organic crops.
The Government's full statement is at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/ministers/statements/mb040309.htm
The Soil Association's response is available on http://www.soilassociation.org
The first evidence of health damage from the pollen of a GM crop emerged yesterday. Professor Terje Traavik, director of the Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology, revealed details of a study showing that villagers from a farming community in the Philippines, close to an area of GM maize fields, suffered "fevers, breathing problems, intestinal and skin ailments". He said that blood tests indicated the symptoms resulted from inhaling mutated maize pollen that had been carried on the wind. The professor's findings were revealed at a United Nations conference in Kuala Lumpur. (Daily Mail - 25/2/04)
Michael Meacher attacked the Government for having no moral, scientific or political authority to press ahead with the cultivation of GM maize. He said that Margaret Beckett was "raising the telescope to her blind eye". He went on to say that the Government has no mandate to proceed with commercial GM crops,
GM news: The Government has agreed in principle to allow GM herbicide tolerant maize to be grown in the UK but has opposed the introduction of GM beet and oilseed rape. The crop will initially only be grown for a limited period, as its EU marketing consent expires in October 2006. The Government said that it will consult with stakeholders for providing compensation to non-GM farmers who suffer financial loss, and that a compensation scheme would need to be funded by the biotechnology sector. The Government will provide advice to farmers interested in establishing GM-free zones and will explore whether a lower threshold than the current 0.9% can be introduced for organic crops.
The Government's full statement is at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/ministers/statements/mb040309.htm
The Soil Association's response is available on http://www.soilassociation.org
The first evidence of health damage from the pollen of a GM crop emerged yesterday. Professor Terje Traavik, director of the Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology, revealed details of a study showing that villagers from a farming community in the Philippines, close to an area of GM maize fields, suffered "fevers, breathing problems, intestinal and skin ailments". He said that blood tests indicated the symptoms resulted from inhaling mutated maize pollen that had been carried on the wind. The professor's findings were revealed at a United Nations conference in Kuala Lumpur. (Daily Mail - 25/2/04)
Michael Meacher attacked the Government for having no moral, scientific or political authority to press ahead with the cultivation of GM maize. He said that Margaret Beckett was "raising the telescope to her blind eye". He went on to say that the Government has no mandate to proceed with commercial GM crops,