Public debate launched on farm-scale evaluations for GM crops

12 September 2002

Genetically modified (GM) crops have been the subject of intense debate. Yet there has been far less discussion about the purpose or desirability of the UK's ongoing farm-scale evaluations.

On Monday 16 September 2002, the online publication spiked and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is launching a debate on the theme of 'UK farm-scale trials: why are we having them?' To initiate the debate, five experts have put forth their views:

Dr Les Firbank, who leads the farm-scale evaluations, explains that they 'do not address all the questions surrounding the possible commercialisation of GM crops', but claims that they 'will provide clear evidence that will be important when decisions about the commercialisation of GM are made'.

Professor Robin Grove White, of the UK government's Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission, says that 'the trials were born out of political necessity in 1998, and as the results start to come in, they will become political again'.

Gregory Conko, director of food safety policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington DC, and Dr Channapatna S Prakash, director of the Centre for Plant Biotechnology Research at Tuskegee University, argue that 'farm-scale evaluations of GM crops have accomplished few of their intended goals'.

Tony Gilland, editor of 'Science: Can We Trust the Experts?' argues that 'an unquestioning acceptance of negative assumptions about the destructive nature of modern farming practices has delayed the commercial use of a benign technology'.

These statements will be followed by responses from experts in the field and from the public. This is the third in a series of online debates about the environment published on spiked and sponsored by NERC.

Further information

Sandy Starr
spiked
Tel: 020 7269 9234
Fax: 020 7269 9235

NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411561
Mob: 07917 557215

Notes

1. The spiked-debate on farm-scale trials for GM crops will be published online, on Monday 16 September 2002.

Public debate launched on farm-scale evaluations for GM crops

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