Minister's Response to Munlochy Petition 'Fails to Quell Fears That GM Trials Threaten Health and the Environment'
Mon., April 15, 2002. 00:00.
Rural Affairs Minister Ross Finnie's response to renewed fears that trials of Genetically Modified (GM) crops may harm the environment and human health has been condemned as 'inadequate and contradictory' by Green MSP Robin Harper. Responding to questions raised by the Parliament's Transport and Environment Committee, who are considering the petition presented by Munlochy GM Vigil calling for an end to GM crop trials, Mr Finnie has claimed that no new potential hazards have been identified by new evidence from recent GM-related studies.
Speaking about the GM trials and Mr Finnie's response, Robin Harper said:
'The arguments laid out by the Minister for the continuation of the trials simply do not hold water. He has dismissed the new evidence we have presented to him claiming that its findings were taken into account during the risk assessment phase of the trials. Yet, for example, the report from the European Environment Agency[1] details that oilseed rape, such as that being tested at Munlochy, presents a high risk in terms of genetic contamination and that its pollen may be transferred up to ten kilometres from a trial site. At Munlochy there is a commercial crop of oilseed rape being grown a matter of a few tens of metres away from the GM plants. If this is contaminated - which given the scientific evidence is almost a certainty - GM material from this trial will then surely find its way into the food chain, and we simply do not know what consequences this will have.
'The Minister's response is also contradictory. He claims that there are currently no interim results from the ecological studies associated with GM farm trials, but then goes on to state that no evidence has emerged that might call into question the safety of the Scottish trials[2]. Plainly if no results from the trials currently exist, how can anyone be sure that environmental harm is not occurring at this very minute?
'The Executive claims that if it is presented with credible evidence that calls into question the safety of GM trials, it would not hesitate to call a halt to these[3]. We have presented evidence collated from around the globe proving that the kind of trials being carried out at Munlochy present a threat to the environment and human health. If the Executive continues to ignore this, the Parliament must be given a chance to consider this new evidence in full, and I will therefore be calling for a full Parliamentary debate on the issue of GM trials at this Wednesday's meeting of the Transport and Environment Committee' Robin Harper further stated.
Contact
Robin Harper 07957 337176 or 0131 348 5927
Notes to Editors
- Quote from European Environment Agency Report - [em](Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): The significance of gene flow through pollen transfer )[/em](http://reports.eea.eu.int/environmental_issue_report_2002_28/en/GMOs%20for%20www.pdf)
- In section 4 (paragraph 2) of his letter of response Mr Finnie states: 'A number of reported allegations about leaked results from the farm scale evaluations claim to indicate that the trials of GM oilseed rape or damaging the environment. In fact no interim results from the ecological studies yet exist for any of the crops which are being assessed as part of the UK farm scale evaluation programme'. In section 4 (paragraph 3) of his letter of response MR Finnie states: 'To date no evidence has emerged which might call into question the safety of Scottish trials'.
- Reply to letter from Robin Harper MSP to Ross Finnie MSP, 19th February 2002.
Contact the Scottish Greens' press team on 07909 933 074.