GM Crops (Hansard, 24 January 2002)

§ Mr. Alan Simpson
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government will take to ensure that conventional seeds grown in the UK will remain free of GM contamination if GM crops are added to the National Seed List. [28252]

§ Mr. Morley
The Government are participating in discussions in Brussels on Commission proposals to amend the EU seed marketing directives to control the adventitious presence of GM events in conventional seeds. When EU measures are adopted, these will be implemented in the UK. Meanwhile, the Central Science Laboratory continues to audit seed companies. The audits check that companies have taken appropriate precautions against the adventitious presence of GM events in conventional seeds that will be sold to farmers and growers.

§ Joan Ruddock
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government will take to ensure that non-GM and organic crops will remain below the proposed 1 per cent. threshold if GM crops are included on the National Seed List. [29504]

§ Mr. Morley
The Government are exploring with interested parties the terms on which GM and non-GM crops might co-exist, recognising that this needs to be resolved before there is any possibility of GM crops being grown here commercially. Commercialisation will not occur before the farm scale evaluations have been completed, even if GM varieties are included on the National Seed List.

§ Mr. Paterson
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors were taken into account in the siting of a GM trial at Lower Hordley, Shropshire. [27743]

§ Mr. Meacher
A site in Hordley, Shropshire was selected last year to take part in the farm scale evaluations of autumn-sown GM herbicide tolerant oil seed rape. The evaluations are being conducted under an agreement between the farming and biotechnology industry body (SCIMAC) and the Government. The progress of the evaluations is being overseen by the independent Scientific Steering Committee (SSC), which includes experts from academia and conservation organisations. SCIMAC finds locations for the evaluations programme. These are then checked, assessed and selected against scientific criteria, which includes crop history, agronomy and measures of biodiversity, by the independent researchers undertaking the field study. The distribution of locations is finally approved, on scientific grounds alone, by the SSC. They have recommended that a geographical spread of sites be obtained that is representative of regional differences in crop distribution and the range of current farming methods, biodiversity 1031W and production intensities throughout Britain. The Government are not involved in the process of selecting FSE sites.