§ Ms DrownTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the GM crop test sites that are not on his Department's website by(a) type of crop and (b) county. [123916]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Department's website is updated regularly to include a list of all the sites which have been notified by consent holders for Part B research and development releases (www.environment.detr.gov.uk/acre/trials.htm).
There is no requirement to notify the Department of releases of a GM crop which has a Europe wide Part C marketing consent for cultivation. However, the industry body SCIMAC has agreed to provide location details for the GM maize being grown in the Farm Scale Evaluations under a Part C consent. All Farm Scale Evaluations sites are listed at www.environment.detr.gov.uk/fse/location/index.htm.
We have no information on any other small scale test sites for such crops with Part C consent as they do not have to be notified to the Department. Growing for any purpose other than small scale trials is precluded by the terms of the agreement with SCIMAC on the growing of GM crops finalised last November.