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Farm-Scale Evaluations of GM Crops: Arrangements for this Autumn's Plantings Announced
23/07/2001
The proposed sites for the next phase of the UK-wide Farm Scale Evaluation of Genetically Modified crops have been announced today by the Scottish Executive. The four proposed Scottish sites are in traditional growing areas of autumn-sown oilseed rape in Aberdeenshire and the Moray Firth coast.
The Scottish Executive has stressed that the Farm Scale Evaluation Programme is important research designed to assess the potential implications of growing GM crops on certain aspects of biodiversity and the wider environment. The role of these evaluations within the Executive's cautious approach to GM development was acknowledged by the Scottish Parliament's Transport & Environment Committee following its investigation into GM crops.
Today's announcement recognises the understandable public concerns about the development of GM crops, and reflects the Scottish Executive's commitment to openness and transparency. Every effort will be made to ensure the public is kept fully appraised of developments surrounding the next round of the Farm Scale Evaluation Programme. It is vital that local communities know what is happening in their locality and why.
The procedure for determining sites and informing the public of decisions is as follows:
- The Scientific Steering Committee, an independent group that oversees the farm-scale evaluations, met on Friday 6 July to consider the potential sites for autumn-sown oilseed rape. The site selection process takes place independently of Government;
- The farm scale evaluation programme is designed to study the effect, if any, that the agricultural practices associated with growing a GM crop may have on farmland wildlife compared to those associated with growing a conventional crop. It is not intended to assess the safety of GM crops;
- The safety of the GM crop has been tested previously over a number of years in the laboratory and in small scale experimental trials but this cannot provide information on the complex ecology of the UK agricultural system. This can only be established by testing under farm conditions where real results can be collected;
- Farm scale evaluations took place in Scotland in spring and autumn last year and again this spring. If Scottish sites are given approval this autumn, they would be the fourth round of Scottish plantings as part of the three year programme. The wealth of data which has already been collected successfully from previous sites will assist the taking of informed decisions upon completion of the programme;
- Formal notification to the regulating authorities is not made until the industry has confirmed arrangements with each of the farmers volunteering to grow the crop. This has been taking place since the SSC meeting on 6 July;
- The Scottish Executive has now received formal notification and has announced today the precise locations of the Scottish sites with six-figure grid references.
- This information will also be placed on the Scottish Executive web-site at www.scotland.gov.uk/gm . The Executive is writing to all local authorities in whose areas the proposed sites are located, as well as other stakeholders, to alert them to the proposals and to explain the nature and purpose of the evaluations;
- These steps are being taken to give local communities in the vicinity of the sites as much prior notice as possible and is in addition to the statutory requirements;
- Public notices will be placed by the applicant in local newspapers in the area of the proposed sites. The regulatory process requires a formal notification period of 15 days but Ministers have asked for a lengthier period to be granted to ensure that everyone with an interest in the programme is aware of the proposals and has the opportunity to comment if they wish;
- Farmers participating in the evaluations are being strongly encouraged by the government and the GM industry body, SCIMAC, to discuss their cropping plans at the earliest opportunity with their immediate neighbours;
- Dialogue is also being encouraged at local level between SCIMAC, local organic growers and beekeeping organisations to discuss how their respective interests might be addressed;
- Scottish Ministers will determine whether or not to grant approval for the proposed sites. They will take this decision on the basis of advice from the Scottish Agriculture Science Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Health & Safety Executive and the Food Standards Agency. They will also consider any representations supported by scientific evidence submitted by the public;
- Approval will only be granted when Scottish Ministers are satisfied on the scientific evidence available to them that the GM crop can be grown on the selected sites without posing a threat to the environment or public health;
- A decision on whether approval has been granted for the evaluations to proceed will be announced in mid-August. If approval is granted, the autumn- sown crops could be planted on Scottish sites immediately thereafter;
- If any credible scientific evidence comes forward to indicate that these GM trials pose a threat then the programme will be halted. Although this particular GM crop has been grown in many countries for some time, no such evidence has emerged.
BACKGROUND
1. The proposed sites in Scotland are:
Grid Reference Nearest village Location
NJ 753 346 Rothienorman Aberdeenshire
NJ 747 307 Daviot Aberdeenshire
NJ 756 274 Daviot Aberdeenshire
NH 654 545 Munlochy Ross-shire
2. The Farm-Scale Evaluations are a three-year UK programme allowing independent researchers to study the effect, if any, that the management practices associated with genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops might have on farmland wildlife, when compared with those used for non-GM crops. GM oilseed rape, maize, fodder beet and sugar beet will be grown as part of the overall UK programme but for climatic reasons only oilseed rape is grown regularly in Scotland. The winter programme involves oilseed rape only.
3. The evaluation programme will, in total, involve between 60 and 75 fields of each crop. At the end of the programme in 2003 the results will be reported, made publicly available in peer reviewed journals and considered by the Scottish Executive and UK Government. An agreement has been reached with the industry that there will be no commercial cultivation of GM crops in the UK at least until the programme is completed and the results evaluated. That evaluation will be one factor in future decisions on commercialisation.
4. The farm-scale evaluation programme is overseen by an independent Scientific Steering Committee (SSC). The SSC provides advice on the ecological studies in the evaluations to ensure they meet rigorous standards of scientific validity. They decide how many trials need to be undertaken in order to acquire representative scientific data. They also advise on the methodology used in the evaluations. They will handle the results of the farm-scale research; receiving progress reports twice yearly, which are published on the Internet.
5. The research itself is being carried out by a consortium led by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, together with the Institute of Arable Crops Research and the Scottish Crop Research Institute.
6. The variety of GM oilseed rape to be grown this winter has consent for general release throughout the UK for research and development, including farm-scale evaluations. It has been modified to be tolerant to a specific type of herbicide. However, approval to grow the crop on individual sites in Scotland for the farm-scale evaluation programme must be sought from the Scottish Executive. Approval for these sites will only be granted when Ministers are satisfied that the GM crop can be grown on the notified sites without posing a threat to the environment or public health.
7. More information about farm-scale evaluations and GM policy is available on the Scottish Executive website: www.scotland.gov.uk/gm.
News Release: SE1740/2001
23 Jul 2001