ISSUE 1608 Wednesday 20 October 1999

Firms agree to extend GM crop ban By Marie Woolf, Political Correspondent

THE voluntary ban on growing genetically modified crops in Britain is to be extended until 2002 in a deal struck between the Government and leading agro-chemical companies.

The deal, expected to be announced this week, will mean that no GM crops will be grown commercially in Britain until after the current field-scale trials are completed. Environmental groups, which have demanded a freeze on commercial GM planting in Britain, have cautiously welcomed the move, but say that they want to ensure that there is no loophole that will allow biotechnology companies to break the voluntary moratorium.

Peter Riley of Friends of the Earth said: "Any agreement between the biotechnology industry and Government has to be published so we can see the small print."

Opposition politicians have welcomed the deal but said that the moratorium represents a "climbdown" for the Government, and accused it of ignoring consumer doubts about GM food.

Tim Yeo, the Conservative agriculture spokesman, said: "The Government has finally recognised the weight of public opinion on this issue. They have recently been talking about commercial planting as early as next year. This is an important climbdown and shows that at last they are recognising that the environmental risks of GM crops are sufficiently serious to justify a three-year delay."

Last year ministers persuaded biotechnology companies to agree not to go ahead with commercial planting for a year. But this one-year freeze is due to expire this month.

Michael Meacher, the Environment Minister, has been negotiating with companies such as Agrevo and Monsanto for months to allow the Government to complete its programme of farm-scale trials before commercial planting starts. Whitehall sources said that some firms have been reluctant to back a three-year voluntary moratorium for fear of losing the commercial edge. But ministers have now persuaded industry that a voluntary ban is the best way to reassure consumers.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), October 20, 1999