HC Deb 27 July 2000 vol 354 cc780-2W
Mr. Alan Simpson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what data has been collected from the field trials of genetically-modified crops in respect of(a) cross pollination with (i) non-GM crops and (ii) wild flora, (b) distance measurements of GM drift, (c) impact upon insect life within test and adjacent sites and (d) sub-spoil impact assessments; and in what form the data is available for scrutiny. [119112]

Mr. Meacher

The information is as follows:

  1. (i) My Department, through a research contract with the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, has been monitoring field trials of GM herbicide tolerant oil seed rape for cross pollination with neighbouring crops and wild relatives since 1995. Last year the two fields of spring sown rape grown as part of the farm scale evaluations were included in this study. Some of the results from earlier years have already been published in scientific journals and a full report will be published later this year.
  2. (ii) GM pollen drift is being measured between both the GM and non-GM sides of the fields of rape and maize in the farm scale evaluations and fields of these crops growing within a 1000 metre radius of the GM crop. In addition since 1993 all the sites at which research trials of GM crops have been grown and their immediate environs have been checked in subsequent years for 'GM volunteers' Reports of this monitoring are available on the public register held in the Department.
  3. (iii) and (iv) Data in respect of impact on insect life and the sub-soil are being collected during the farm scale evaluations. The data will be reviewed by the Scientific Steering Committee overseeing the evaluations and submitted for publication as soon as possible in peer reviewed scientific journals. The research consortium has already published two reports on progress with the evaluations and more will follow at six-monthly intervals.

Joan Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he intends to publish the first results, including interim data, from the farm-scale evaluations of GM crops under way in the UK. [120719]

Mr. Meacher

[holding answer 3 May 2000]The design of the farm scale evaluations requires data to be collected over a three-year period to give a big enough sample size to allow statistically valid conclusions to be drawn. The Scientific Steering Committee therefore takes the view that it is unlikely that sufficient data will be available for scientifically reliable results to be published until late 2002 for the spring sown crops and late 2003 for the autumn sown crops.

The Scientific Steering Committee and the research contractors have agreed that reports on progress with the evaluations should be prepared and published at six-monthly intervals. Two interim reports have already been agreed by the committee and published by the research consortium. A further report on progress with the evaluations will be published in late 2000. This will include analysis and assessment of the study protocols and the validity of data obtained this year.

The research consortium will also shortly be submitting for publication in a scientific journal information on the design of the evaluations including the statistical power to detect potential differences.

Joan Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he has(a) been, and (b) asked to be, informed of the locations in the United Kingdom where Advanta Seeds UK's conventional rapeseed sown in 1999 and 2000 contained genetically modified rapeseed; and if he will place copies of written information in his possession on such locations in the Library. [126172]

Mr. Meacher

[holding answer 15 June 2000]The presence of the GM seed was not discovered until this year and therefore no action has been taken to find out where it was sown in 1999.

Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food have written to all farmers who have sown the relevant Hyola varieties this year, to clarify the subsidy position and inform them that if they received seed from the specific batches that were affected, their crops must not be marketed in the EU.

Advanta have put in place their own arrangements to identify and compensate farmers and the Government's inspectors, the Central Science Laboratory (CSL), will audit these arrangements to ensure that none of the affected oil seed rape enters the food chain.

In light of these measures, and in light of the advice that the growing of these seeds does not pose a threat to human health or the environment, I have not been, or asked to be, informed of the exact locations where the affected Advanta seeds were sown.