March 29, 2000 / Press Release
Welsh Agriculture Secretary Christine Gwyther has approved the use of a
genetically-modified maize seed in the UK. In a statement Ms Gwyther said
she had given her approval to approval to include the seed in the UK
national seed list - despite her earlier support for a GM-free Wales. "I
have concluded that the only reasonable, legal, way forward is for the
application to be approved," she said. The move also went against the wishes
of the Assembly's agriculture committee which had earlier urged her to vote
against the listing. The genetically-modified T25 maize seed will now be
approved for sale to farmers as animal feed. Ms Gwyther's counterparts in
England and Scotland have already given their approval. The Assembly as a
whole had previously said it favours Wales being a GM-free zone - a view
supported by Ms Gwyther who said it would give Wales a very good marketing
opportunity. But she had also expressed fears that any decision to go it
alone in Wales might be subject to a judicial review and might not be able
to be enforced. The environmental group, Friends of the Earth Cymru, reacted
angrily to the decision. A spokesman for the organisation said: "The
National Assembly for Wales has betrayed its people by giving the go-ahead
for the first GM maize seed to go onto the market." The applicants for the
licence, the Essex-based Avensis company, had always insisted the seed was
safe. Safe for human health Des de Souza, of Avensis, said: "We are very
proud that this variety of seed has performed to the standard considered for
national listing. "The industry believes this is a technical issue. Farmers
in Wales and the rest of the UK will be the ones that decide if they want to
grow these varieties." Ms Gwyther had also had specific scientific advice on
T25 from ACRE, the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment. It
said T25 was safe for human health, the environment, and for use in animal
feed. Its only concern was with the herbicide associated with T25, although
it said it was confident that farm-scale trials would address this issue.
The UK government told the European Commission in 1996 that it had no
objection to T25 being placed on the European market. Most member states
voted in favour of marketing consent in 1997, except for France, which
followed in 1998 after a national debate on GM crops.
(posted without permission)
