London (25.6.08) – Last week, Phil Woolas, Minister for the Environment at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), met representatives of the UK biotech. industry to discuss attitudes to and possibilities for GM crops in Britain.

The minister was clearly supportive of the technology and the issue of enabling crop trials to proceed in the UK, agreeing that it was the UK Government’s position to allow and facilitate the existence of these trials.

He was apparently particularly interested in the impact of asynchronous approval systems in the EU (see http://www.cropgen.org/article_135.html) and wanted to know specifically how this would impact on the UK and the EU livestock industries.

The meeting was reported by the National Farmers Union who commented “We are pleased the DEFRA minister is finally talking about GM crops in an open, pragmatic and science-based way.

“We sincerely hope this indicates a real change in Government thinking and a move away from the highly politicised and emotive way this issue has been dealt with during the last decade.

“The reality is that GM technology is not new and it has been applied to commercial agriculture around the world for more than 12 years.

“In the context of increasing food prices as well as fuel, we are pleased that the benefits of reduced inputs and increased yields by improving crops using GM technology are finally being recognised as a benefit for both consumers and the environment.”

The meeting was extensively reported in the press, even by the Daily Mail (but see below).

Sources:

1. Sam Wood. NFU welcomes moves for debate on GM crops role. The Journal (20.6.08) (http://www.nebusiness.co.uk/farming-news/farming-news/2008/06/20/nfu-welcomes-moves-for-debate-on-gm-crops-role-51140-21109052)

2. Andrew Grice (19.6.08). GM crops needed in Britain, says minister. The Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/gm-crops-needed-in-britain-says-minister-849991.html)

3. It's time to reassess GM crops. Daily Telegraph (19.6.08) (http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/06/19/dl1904.xml)

4. GM crops debate 'needs rethink in light of worldwide food crisis'. Daily Mail (19.6.08) (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1027610/GM-crops-debate-needs-rethink-light-worldwide-food-crisis.html). N.B. By the time this note came to be written on June 24th, the article at that very same URL had apparently been replaced by another, written by the usual anti-GM contributor, and much more in line with the paper’s ongoing policy. Nevertheless, the original titled remained cached on Google! What on earth might have happened in the editorial offices of the Daily Mail to bring that about?

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