May 19, 2000 / PA News
In Europe, pressured increased for so-called search and destroy missions.
The Swedish Board of Agriculture was cited as saying it was likely farmers there who used the affected seed this year would be ordered to destroy their crops.
But a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Agriculture in Britain was cited as saying the Government could only destroy affected crops and seeds if there was a threat to human health or the environment, adding, "This is not the case and therefore the Government is not calling for a destruction of the crops."
A statement from the company was quoted as saying, "On April 3, Advanta learned that some batches of seed of one of its non GM spring oilseed rape varieties imported from Canada for sowing in a number of European countries had tested positive for a very low level presence (less than 1%) of genetically modified (GM) rape. As a precaution, immediate steps were taken to halt sales of Hyola varieties throughout all EU countries to which the seed had been supplied. An independent testing programme was instigated and it has now been confirmed that a few seed lots of these varieties have an extremely low level of GMO impurity despite being produced to standards well in excess of regulatory requirements."
The company said seed companies were given no guidance on very low levels of GM presence so Advanta or its representatives had alerted government departments in each country.
Its statement added: "We are satisfied that regulations have not been breached, that there are no risks for consumers, consequences for food safety and there is no risk to the environment."
Friends of the Earth food campaigner Adrian Bebb was quoted as saying, "The Swedish government has been open and honest about the extent of the contamination and has moved quickly to ensure that these crops are removed from the ground. The British Government has been secretive, has produced minimum and misleading information and has done nothing to ensure that these crops are removed from the ground. We want the trials programme stopped and above all we want the UK Government to protect the public, not the GM industry."
Greenpeace spokesman Tim Thomas was cited as calling on the Government to order the destruction of affected crops, adding, "The Government has known for a month that this is happening. What they should be doing is prosecuting Advanta, pulling up these crops and acting to prevent contamination that is already there from going further along the food chain. They should also provide compensation to farmers whose GM-free status has been compromised. The other issue is that this has got into the animal food chain and it seems there has been no action taken there."
(posted without permission)
