§ Joan RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he has(a) been and (b) asked to be provided with information on whether any of the conventional rapeseed grown in the farm-scale evaluations contains genetically modified rapeseed; and if he will place copies of the written information in his possession in that regard in the Library. [126098]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 15 June 2000]: I have been advised that none of the Farm Scale Evaluation sites in England have been planted with the affected batches of Advanta Hyola rapeseeds, but I understand that the evaluation site in Scotland has been.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to the statement on 18 May 2000,Official Report, column 475, when the seed purity checks were put in place; how many consignments of GM seeds have been checked to date; to what degree of purity the seeds were tested; and what were the results of the tests. [126855]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 19 June 2000]: My Department has asked the Central Science Laboratory (CSL) to check for GM contamination of imports of oilseed rape and maize, as part of CSL's wider responsibilities for inspection and enforcement relating to GM releases and marketing. CSL are currently compiling data from which an appropriate inspection programme is being developed.
The programme will be in place in good time for the sowing of winter oilseed rape, which CSL will consider as its first priority.