§ Mr. Ivan HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who was responsible for the crop management of the Farm Scale Evaluation at Sunnymead Farm, Wivenhoe in 2000; when the GM maize, planted at Sunnymead Farm, was sprayed with herbicide; and when the crop was sprayed with glufosinate ammonium. [50920]
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§ Mr. MeacherManagement of the crops in the Farm Scale Evaluations is undertaken by the farmer hosting each individual trial, with SCIMAC (Supply Chain Initiative on Modified Agricultural Crops) providing advice in relation to the GM crops. As herbicide use is the key factor in the research, this aspect of the crop management is covered by the following protocol:
Protocol on herbicide use for the Farm Scale Evaluations
1. SCIMAC (Supply Chain Initiative on Modified Agricultural Crops) will not offer advice to farmers on management of the non-GM part of experimental fields. This will be carried out by the farmer's own adviser and recorded in detail, as is required under pesticide usage regulations.2. SCIMAC will provide advice through an agronomist to farmers about herbicide and related management for the GM herbicide-tolerant crops. The agronomist will make a recommendation about the application rate and timing of the herbicide to provide cost-effective weed control. SCIMAC will provide draft detailed herbicide application information in addition to the label on the herbicide container, and provide the necessary amount of the herbicide to the farmers.3. Farmers will provide their rationale for recommended herbicide usage in the non-GM part of each study field. SCIMAC's agronomist will provide their rationale for recommended herbicide usage in the GM part of each study field. Farmers will provide a report of actual herbicide use in both the GM and non-GM parts of each study field. All this information will be submitted to the independent research consortium carrying out the FSE study, thereby allowing a comparison of the agronomist's advice with actual herbicide usage and thus substantiating whether or not cost-effective weed control has been met.The independent Scientific Steering Committee overseeing the FSE programme has approved this protocol as being appropriate for cost-effective weed control. The independent team carry out the FSE research audit as to whether cost-effective weed control has been practised by analysing herbicide application records, the weed burden at each trial site and records of crop yield. My Department does not have this management data, but it is planned to make relevant details publicly available at the end of the FSE programme when the research results are published. I can confirm that glufosinate ammonium is the only herbicide being used on the GM maize in the FSE trials.