March 29, 2000 / PA News / Mike Brownhill and Jamie Lyons, PA News
UK environment campaigners were cited as vowing tonight to step up their
fight against genetically modified food after a controversial seed was given
the go-ahead to be placed on the UK national seed list.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was cited as announcing
today that Ministers have proposed the maize variety Chardon LL for addition
on the list of approved crops.
Their decision came after Welsh agriculture secretary Christine Gwyther
failed to use her veto over approving the seed, which must have the backing
of agriculture secretaries in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Ms Gwyther's decision not to block the seed cleared the way for it to be
included on the national list.
Ms Gwyther was quoted as saying, "I have considered very carefully the legal
and professional advice available to the Assembly and I have concluded that
the only reasonable, legal way forward is for the application to be
approved."
It is the first of 23 applications for GM seeds to go on the list and if it
is approved it can then be marketed in the UK.
However the Government has agreed a moratorium on the marketing of GM
varieties until farm scale trials have been evaluated in 2003.
Friends of the Earth Cymru's GM campaigner Raoul Bhambral was quoted as
saying the group would fight today's decision "every step of the way. The
fact that UK Ministers acted so quickly in proposing this seed for addition
on the UK list indicates that they were expecting Christine Gwyther's
decision all along. It is depressing that she did not have the courage to
see the issue through and prevent it from going on the list when she had the
chance. She has completely failed the devolution test. This was the best
opportunity she had to stand up to Westminster and big business but
unfortunately she has collapsed under the pressure. I think the opposition
to GM foods will get stronger after this. It is not the end of the fight by
any means and we will take it all the way."
(posted without permission)
