§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the advice he received about the contamination by GMOs of rape seed together with a list of all those who were consulted and the dates on which he first contacted them after 17 April. [123832]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 25 May 2000]: Since 17 April Ministers have sought advice on this matter from the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE), the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs (ACAF). Ministers initially received informal advice from ACRE and the FSA, which was subsequently confirmed in formal advice. That advice has been published. Informal advice has been received from ACAF and formal advice is awaited. This will be published when it is received.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the Government will restrict the import of crop seeds described as GM-free from countries in which separation distances between GM crops and GM-free crops are less than in the United Kingdom. [124157]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 22 June 2000]: The marketing of seeds imported into the EC from non-EC countries is governed by EC equivalence arrangements.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information the Government have obtained from parties other than Advanta UK on the contamination of conventional Advanta rapeseed with genetically modified rapeseed; and when such information was received. [124148]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 5 June 2000]: Apart from that supplied by Advanta, we have received information on the GM rapeseed inadvertently planted in the UK from the Canadian authorities. On 25 May the Canadian Food Inspection Agency provided preliminary information about the production of the relevant seed in Canada. A Ministry official went to Canada on 26 May 298W to liaise further with the Canadian authorities, who are still investigating how the conventional rapeseed came to be affected. We remain in close touch with them on this.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his oral statement of 18 May 2000,Official Report, columns 473–74, what data he has collated on distances between fields that had been used to produce conventional Advanta rapeseed and the GM crops responsible for the cross-pollination of the conventional crop. [1241163]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 5 June 2000]: The Government have no data yet on distances between fields used to produce the conventional Advanta oilseed rape seed stocks and possible sources of cross-pollination. The Canadian authorities are currently investigating which fields were used in the production of the affected Advanta seed. My Department aims to obtain the results of these investigations at the earliest opportunity.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the crop sites now growing GM oilseed rape as a result of the contamination of Advanta rapeseed with GM rapeseed will be subject to the same controls as crop sites intentionally sown with GM rapeseed for the purposes of a licensed crop trial. [124160]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 5 June 2000]: All releases of GMOs, whether deliberate or inadvertent, are subject to the provisions of Part VI of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had about liability in cases where(a) conventional crop seed is contaminated with GM crop seed, (b) conventional crops are cross-pollinated by GM crops and (c) conventional crops are contaminated with genetic material from GM crops as a result of other forms of gene flow. [124161]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 5 June 2000]: I have had discussions recently on various issues relating to GM crops. The question of liability is a matter of civil law and liability will depend on the specific circumstances of each case, including where relevant the contractual arrangements that have been entered into by the parties concerned.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans the Government had in place before 18 May to inform farmers of the contamination of conventional Advanta rapeseeds with GM rapeseeds; and what changes have been made to those plans since 18 May. [124167]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 5 June 2000]: After learning of the problem Ministers established the factual background and took advice on the health, environmental and legal implications, in order to be able to publish appropriate information. This was published on 17 May. Further information was published as soon as we were in a position to do so.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 8 June 2000,Official Report, column 359W, which Canadian seeds authority was responsible for ensuring the purity of the rapeseed involved in the Advanta GM contamination incident. [126854]
299W
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 22 June 2000]: Responsibility for the purity of certified seed exported from Canada to the UK rests with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, reporting directly to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 8 June 2000,Official Report, column 359W, if he will list the seeds authorities that have a legal responsibility for ensuring the purity of seeds exported from the UK; and which Government Department is responsible. [126853]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 19 June 2000]: The following departments are responsible for ensuring the certification of seeds, including those for export, as prescribed by the seeds regulations. The regulations do not prescribe purity standards for the presence of GM material.
For England and Wales—the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (acting in relation to Wales on behalf of the National Assembly for Wales)For Scotland—the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs DepartmentFor Northern Ireland—the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.