§ Mr. GapesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures his Department is taking to ensure preservation of genetic diversity in vegetable, fruit and grain varieties.
§ Mr. CurryThe Department funds a number of plant genetic resource collections, including the vegetable gene bank at Wellesbourne, Warwickshire and the national fruit collection at Brogdale, Kent. The Government, through the Overseas Development Administration, is a major funder of the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources and other centres that hold collections of genetic resources. The Government participate in international efforts to establish networks of ex-situ plant genetic resource collections.
310W