This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Experts say GM trials can go ahead safely
28/03/2001
The Scottish Executive today approved the spring planting of GM oilseed rape at five fields in the North and North East of Scotland.
Approval was only given after expert bodies advised that the crop can be grown safely. The Food Standards Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Health and Safety Executive were satisfied that the trials gave no grounds for concern; either for the safety of the people living near the trial sites or to the wider environment.
The applications to grow a spring-sown variety of GM oilseed rape at the five sites were received at the end of February. All are part of the three-year farm-scale evaluation programme and on receipt were referred to the three advisory bodies.
The Scottish Executive also issued information to the local communities around the sites to make sure they were fully aware of the applications.
The advisory bodies have carefully considered the science behind these plantings as well as representations from individuals and organisations opposed to field trials on particular farms and GM technology more generally.
These expert advisory agencies saw no grounds to advise that the releases be refused. Additionally the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment, a key group of independent advisers, is satisfied that for this particular GM crop safety is not an issue.
Ministers have taken this decision on the basis of the evidence before them but are aware that many feel frustrated by the inability of the existing statutory procedure to take account of public opinion. Revised
legislation will follow from the new European Directive which will be published shortly.
Ministers want this change to give the public a greater role in the process. The Scottish Executive will consult widely on the content of any new legislation. Until this is in place, however, it would be illegal to act in contravention of existing law.
This is the second season during which spring-sown oilseed rape will be grown on the farm scale evaluation programme. The farm scale evaluations are not designed to test the safety of the GM crop. That has been tested exhaustively beforehand in laboratories, glasshouses and small scale plantings. These crops may only be grown as part of the evaluation programme because they have passed all the safety tests to the satisfaction of our independent experts.
They are being grown under these field conditions to enable concrete scientific information to be collected on the impact which the new herbicide regimes associated with the crop could have on the farmland wildlife.
Until Ministers are satisfied that a full assessment of the effects of the herbicides on farmland wildlife can be made, they have agreed with the biotechnology industry that there will be no commercial growing of these GM crops in Scotland.
Without this agreement and the farm scale evaluation programme, applications for commercial approval would be made for a number of GM crops. The Scottish Executive believes that its precautionary approach is a sensible alternative to that course.
BACKGROUND
1 The five fields are at:
- Auldearn, Highland NH901536
- Smithton, Highland NH702458
- Daviot, Aberdeenshire NJ 750295
- Daviot, Aberdeenshire NJ 772283
- Daviot, Aberdeenshire NJ 740288
2 The legislation under which applications for the release of GM crops are considered requires that decisions are taken on the basis of scientific criteria. The legislation only allows for objections to a particular application to carry weight if those objections have a clearly established scientific basis.
3 While Ministers are alert to the concerns voiced by some people who believe that farm scale evaluations present a threat to them, Ministers have to act upon the advice of experts who, on the basis of their professional knowledge, have advised that this is not the case. The
Scottish Executive has made factual information widely available in the vicinity of proposed sites. The Minister for Rural Development also appeared on a radio phone-in on 16 March to answer questions raised by people in the Moray Firth area.
4. Although the statutory period during which Ministers can withhold approval for an application to proceed is only 15 days, the Scottish Executive has delayed this announcement for two weeks to allow a lengthier period to share information with local interests. Although legal consent is now granted to the applicant, Ministers still have powers to call a halt to the planting at any time if any evidence emerges to suggest that these crops pose a safety threat. Ministers will have no hesitation in using these powers.
News Release: SE0833/2001
28 Mar 2001