HC Deb 29 November 1999 vol 340 cc36-8W
Joan Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the payments made to farmers hosting the genetically modified farm-scale trials; and whether the payments include(a) a fee for managing the farm-scale trial crop, (b) compensation for loss of income from the land growing the farm-scale crop and (c) a fee for taking part in the farm scale trial. [99541]

Mr. Meacher

The Department has no involvement in any payments made to farmers for taking part in the farm-scale evaluations of GM crops, nor is it party to any such arrangements. All fields and crops are provided by the industry group SCIMAC (supply chain initiative on modified agricultural crops)

Joan Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the method and date of destruction and disposal used for the harvested crops from the 1999 genetically modified farm-scale trial of fodder maize at Little Park Farm, Beech Hill Road, Mortimer, Berkshire. [99540]

Mr. Meacher

The genetically modified farm-scale trial of fodder maize at Little Park Farm, Beech Hill Road, Mortimer, Berkshire was harvested in early October 1999. The harvested crop was then mechanically chopped and ploughed back into the ground.

Joan Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the criteria used by the Farm-Scale Trials Scientific Steering Committee for the selection of farms to take part in the farm-scale trials. [99542]

Mr. Meacher

The criteria for selecting farms to take part in the farm-scale evaluations are still under discussion by the research contractors and the Scientific Steering Committee. The issue was discussed at the first and second meetings of the Scientific Steering Committee and the Committee's opinions are recorded in the minutes which have been published.

The intention is to compare the GM crops with the non-GM equivalent crops grown and managed using a range of current agricultural practices and distributed throughout the normal geographic range for that particular crop.

Joan Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish a list of the crop varieties, including the respective companies which developed them, so far proposed by SCIMAC for the inclusion in the genetically modified crop farm-scale trials. [99538]

Mr. Meacher

The crops provided by SCIMAC for the farm-scale evaluations are fodder maize and oil seed rape, which are genetically modified to be tolerant to glufosinate ammonium. AgrEvo UK Limited have developed these crops.

The trait has been bred into varieties of maize and oil seed rape (both spring-sown and autumn-sown) suitable for growing in the UK. The intention is that only one variety of fodder maize, and one variety each of spring-sown and autumn-sown oil seed rape, will be used in the farm-scale evaluations as the results will be generic in nature.

Joan Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish a copy of the protocols for the management of the GM farm-scale trials for each crop and each variety planted. [99544]

Mr. Meacher

All GM crops in the farm-scale evaluations will be grown in accordance with the SCIMAC (supply chain initiative on modified agricultural crops) guidelines, the industry code for good practice. These guidelines have been published. A copy has been placed in the House Library.

The approval for the herbicide sets out the protocol for its use. This has been seen and approved by the scientific steering committee, but is not fully published yet. It is intended that this information be published as soon as possible.

Joan Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on which dates the crops in the 1999 genetically modified crop farm-scale trials were sown and harvested involving fodder maize at Walnut Tree Farm, Lyng, Norfolk, crops at(a) Home Farm, Spittle-in-the-Street, Glentham, Lincolnshire, (b) Little Park Farm, Beech Hill Road, Mortimer, Reading, Berkshire, and (c) Rothampsted Experimental Station, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, and spring oilseed rape at Advanta Seed, Booth Graffoe, Lincoln, and Model Farm, Shirburn, Watlington, Oxfordshire. [99539]

Mr. Meacher

The fodder maize crop at Walnut Tree Farm, Lyng, Norfolk was sown on 7 May 1999 and harvested in early October. The fodder maize crop at Home Farm, Spittle-in-the-Street, Glentham, Lincolnshire was sown on 18 May 1999 and harvested in early October. The fodder maize crop at Little Park Farm, Beech Hill Road, Mortimer, Reading, Berkshire was sown on 10 May 1999 and harvested in early October. The fodder maize crop at Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden, Hertfordshire was sown on 12 May 1999 and harvested on 22 September.

The spring oil seed rape crop at Advanta Seed, Boothby Graffoe, Lincoln was sown on 28 April 1999 and harvested on 1 September 1999. The spring oil seed rape crop at Model Farm, Shirburn, Watlington, Oxfordshire was sown on 29 April 1999 and harvested on 2 September 1999.