This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Launch of UK public debate on GM
03/06/2003
A UK public debate on Genetic Modification was launched
today.
Environment Minister Ross Finnie welcomed the debate on
GM and encouraged Scots to get involved.
Starting in Birmingham, the independent debate will see
events happening around the UK over the course of the next
month.
A public meeting will take place in Glasgow on the 11th
of June. This will be followed by local events throughout
Scotland.
Mr Finnie, said:
This independent debate will provide people with a real
opportunity to explore and discuss the issues around GM
which are of concern to them.
"An independent steering group is managing this UK wide
series of discussions, ensuring that the final report is an
objective assessment of the views expressed.
"The Executive is very keen to hear people's views and
we have already indicated that we will respond to the
outcome of the debate. I would therefore encourage as many
people as possible to participate in this unique debate by
joining in, or organising, local discussions."
People wishing to participate, or to organise their own
discussion events, can contact the debate team on: 020 7261
8616, or via the web at: www.gmnation.org.uk
The proposal to promote a national debate on GM came
from the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology
Commission (AEBC) in their report ' Crops on Trial'
published in September 2001. The UK Government and the
devolved administrations are providing £500,000 (double the
original budget) to fund the debate.
The debate process began last November with a series of
foundation discussion workshops to let members of the
public frame the issues for debate. The Steering Board is
due to submit a report on the debate to Government by the
end of September.
Government has said that it will listen and learn from
the results of the debate. Government has given a
commitment to make a written response to the public debate
report, and indicate what has been learnt from the debate
when making future policy announcements on GM.
The public debate is one strand of the wider GM
dialogue. The other two strands are the science review,
which is looking at where there is consensus on the science
surrounding GM and where the uncertainties lie
(www.gmsciencereview.org.uk), and a study into the overall
costs and benefits associated with GM crops, being
conducted by the No.10 Strategy Unit
(www.strategy.gov.uk).