§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received on the risks attached to the exchange between plant and animal viruses in relation to GM crops; and if he will make a statement. [115034]
§ Ms QuinWe are not aware of any representations on this issue.
In 1994 this Department commissioned a report to assess the risks to the agricultural environment associated with the development of virus-tolerant GM plants. This report identified the creation of new viruses as an area which should be investigated and we have funded a number of research projects in this area, at a total cost of £755,000. These projects have not found any evidence of the creation of novel viruses. Details of all completed projects are available from the MAFF library.