The Guardian / Geoffrey Gibbs / Thursday March 30, 2000
The Welsh agriculture secretary, Christine Gwyther, came under attack from
environmental campaigners and opposition members of the Welsh assembly last
night after giving approval for a genetically modified form of forage maize
to be placed on the UK national seed list.
The decision came only hours after the assembly's all- party agriculture and
rural affairs committee had recommended that she should block the application
and goes against Ms Gwyther's known personal wish to see Wales established as
a GM free zone. Campaigners from Friends of the Earth Cymru accused her of
collapsing under "massive pressure" from Westminster.
Welsh approval for the her bicide-resistant ChardonLL seed developed by the
biotech company Aventis has no immediate practical implications because the
industry has agreed a moratorium on commercial growing of GM crops until farm
scale trials have been evaluated in 2003.
But opposition parties claim the decision represents a lost opportunity for
devolved government in Wales to be seen to be doing something different.
There is also disquiet at the way in which the views of an assembly committee
have again been ignored by the executive. The Liberal Democrat assembly
leader, Mike German, said Labour had blatantly ignored the will of the
assembly on GM crops.
Ms Gwyther, who six months ago was censured over her handling of the farming
crisis in Wales, asked the committee to consider the Aventis application
because of what she acknowledged to be widespread public interest. But after
considering the committee's views and legal and professional advice she
announced yesterday that the only "reasonable, legal way forward" was for the
application to be approved.
Friends of the Earth condemned the move as setting a terrible precedent.
ChardonLL was the first GM seed to approach the market and it was unlikely
that others now on their way would be looked into in as much detail.
The Liberal Democrat leader claimed Labour was holding the assembly in
contempt: "If Labour had no choice but to agree the licence then they should
have come clean and made the decision weeks ago."
(posted without permission)
