§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress the United Kingdom Register of Organic Foods Standards has made with re-examining UK standards relating to contact with genetically-modified crops, with special reference to(a) insect pollination and (b) bee-keeping. [109323]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 21 February 2000]: Neither European Community legislation nor the standards approved by the United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards (UKROFS) allow the use of genetically modified material in the production of organic food. No standards have been set in relation to the adventitious presence of such material, although EU legislation provides a procedure for a maximum limit to be determined.
UKROFS has established a working group to consider how best to reflect in UK standards the provisions of the EU regulation on the presence of GM material in organic produce. It is also participating in discussions between the organic and GM sectors under the chairmanship of MAFF officials with a view to identifying practical means of protecting the interests of both. These discussions are addressing questions relating to the separation of GM and organic crops and are taking account of research on cross-pollination by insects and bees.