§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the location of each of the genetically modified maize trials taking place in the United Kingdom. [128363]
§ Mr. Nick BrownAll the genetically modified (GM) maize under trial in the UK has a Part C marketing consent under EU Directive 90/220. This means it has undergone a detailed safety assessment and been approved for commercial release across the EU. The Directive does not require the disclosure of GM plantings with Part C approval, but the locations of Farm Scale Evaluation (FSE) trials of GM maize are available on the DETR website www.environment.detr.gov.uk, and the locations of National List trials of GM maize have been made available at civil parish level as follows:
Variety/county Parish Sheridan Oxfordshire Stoke Talmage Somerset Brockley Yorkshire Bramham cum Oglethorpe Cambridgeshire Histon Shropshire Ercall Magna The locations of other trails of GM maize do not need to be notified to the Government. However, we understand that only four such trails have been undertaken this year, and that these have been very small in scale, mainly co-located with other publicised trials, and subject to the same guidelines for GM cropping as in the FSE trials, including the application of separation distances between the GM plants and equivalent non-GM plants. The industry has agreed there will be no commercial growing of GM crops until the FSE trials has been completed and evaluated.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the total acreage of GM crops planted in the UK under(a) Part B consents and (b) Part C consents. [136491]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 6 November 2000]: Part B consents for GM plants under Directive 90/220 stipulate a maximum growing area. For plantings this year a total maximum area of about 650 hectares has been permitted, but it is expected that in practice the area actually sown will have been smaller. Plantings this year under a Part C consent are thought to total approximately 60 hectares. This includes Farm Scale Evaluation trials, National List trials and other small-scale trials.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on gene stacking in herbicide resistant GM crops; and what investigations the Government have made on the potential impact of this phenomenon on British agriculture. [136739]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 6 November 2000]: Gene stacking refers to plants with multiple GM traits, which may be developed intentionally or created unintentionally through cross-pollination. When considering proposed GM releases the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) evaluates the potential for, and implications of, stacked genes. If a proposed release poses an unacceptable risk to human health, animal health or the environment ACRE does not recommend approval. Other 563W authorities in Europe have also considered this issue and it was the subject of a workshop held by the European Commission in 1998. ACRE has been kept informed of developments in this area.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what crop trials have been carried out exclusively in other countries to provide an adequate research basis for Government decisions on GM crop commercialisation; and, in particular, the inclusion of GM seed varieties on the national seed list. [139640]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 21 November 2000]: The only GM crop trials, for the purposes of National List applications, that have been conducted in other countries are tests for varietal distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS). Such DUS tests have been conducted only in France, by the French authorities, for the GM forage maize varieties Chardon LL and Sheridan. The tests and trials for all other GM varieties which are the subject of UK National List applications are conducted in the UK.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which Minister is responsible for the issuing of Part C consents for GM crop trials. [136685]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 6 November 2000]: In respect of England it is the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, acting jointly; for Scotland it is the Minister for Rural Development; for Wales it is the Secretary for Rural Affairs; and for Northern Ireland it is the Minister of the Environment.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a full list of all GM crop trials currently licensed in this country, broken down by crop trial program [136723]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 6 November 2000]: Details of all GM trials under Part B of Directive 90/220 are already published in a public register held by DETR. The locations of these trials are also given on the DETR website www.environment.detr.gov.uk as are, separately, the locations of the farm scale evaluation trials. The locations of National List trials of GM varieties are available on the MAFF website www.maff.gov.uk. Other small-scale trials of GM plants with Part C consent do not need to be notified to the Government. For further background on this matter I would refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Minister of State gave to the hon. Member for Taunton (Jackie Ballard) on 25 October 2000, Official Report, column 141W.