§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to ban the commercial release of GM crops until tests demonstrate that they are safe for(a) people and (b) the environment. [115032]
§ Mr. MeacherI have been asked to reply.
38WIt is the Government's policy to ban the commercial release of GM crops until it can be demonstrated that they are safe for people and the environment. The current European and UK legislation prohibits the commercial release of any genetically modified organism, including GM crops, until the applicant can demonstrate to the satisfaction of European member states that they will not cause harm to human health or the environment and a marketing consent has been issued under the terms of the Directive 90/220.