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Applications For GM Farm-Scale Evaluations
28/02/2001
Four Scottish farms have applied to take part in the spring round of GM farm-scale evaluations announced today.
Approval will only be granted if Scottish Ministers are satisfied the crop can be grown without posing a threat to the environment or public safety.
The four farms have applied to grow a genetically modified variety of spring oilseed rape on five sites (two of which are on a single farm) as part of the three year UK wide programme. The farms seeking approval are at Auldearn and Smithton in Highland Region and two farms at Daviot, Aberdeenshire.
Minister for Rural Development Ross Finnie said:
"The Executive is fully committed to making this whole process as open and transparent as possible. We believe it is vital that people are aware of all the facts about an important issue like GM - that is why we are putting details of locations of the proposed farm-scale evaluations into the public domain today.
"Decisions on whether or not to grant approval for Scottish sites to take part in farm scale evaluation programme will be taken on the basis of sound science - and only where we are satisfied that the GM crop can be grown on the selected sites without posing a threat to the environment or public safety. We will consider any representations supported by scientific evidence submitted by the public.
"But I must stress again that it is not the GM crop which is being tested. The GM crop to be used in the evaluations has been through years of rigorous safety tests required by the strict EU regulatory framework and has satisfied the independent scientific experts that it does not pose a threat to the environment or public safety. These trials are designed to investigate if there are any effects on wildlife of the farming practices associated with growing this particular variety of GM crop."
Environment Minister Sam Galbraith added:
"It is important for such carefully assessed trials to take place in Scotland to reflect our particular climate and ecology. We need to understand and be satisfied that growing these crops will have no unacceptable effects on the unique nature of the Scottish environment. It is equally essential that decisions are taken on the basis of sound science since without this scientific knowledge we can only speculate and that is in no-one's interest. The three year farm scale evaluation programme is a practical example of the Executive's precautionary approach.
"We will always act cautiously but equally we will not turn our backs on progress.
"All the evidence collected during the three year evaluation programme will be sifted by an independent Scientific Steering Committee. The results will be made public at the end of the trials so that they can be peer-reviewed and fully examined by any member of the public.
"Until these evaluations have been completed and evaluated there will be no commercial growing of GM crops in this country."
The Scottish Executive has sought to increase the notification period with industry body SCIMAC to give local people more time to find out about the farm scale evaluations in their area. The Executive is writing today to local authorities and community councils in the areas where applications have been made and is informing key bodies such as Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Beekeepers Association, National Farmers Union and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Depending on weather and soil conditions, the sowing of oilseed rape is likely to start from late March through April.
BACKGROUND
1. The Scottish Executive believe that it is important for the public to be aware of what is happening in their locality and why. For that reason the precise locations of the 5 Scottish sites (two of which are on a single farm) where it is proposed to plant spring oilseed rape are being made public. The detailed locations of the proposed Scottish sites are as follows:-
Location Nearest village Grid Reference
Nairn, Highland Auldearn NH 901 536
Smithton, Highland Smithton NH 702 458
Daviot, Aberdeenshire Daviot NJ 750 295
Daviot, Aberdeenshire Daviot NJ 772 283
Daviot, Aberdeenshire Daviot NJ 740 288
2. The farm scale evaluations are a three year 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 with 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 will be grown in Scotland.
3. The evaluation programme will, in total, involve between 60 and 75 fields of each crop type. 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. Under the agreement between government and industry, there will be no commercial growing of GM crops in the UK until the end of the evaluation programme and only if the crops are assessed as posing no unacceptable effects on the environment.
4. The farm scale evaluation programme is overseen by an independent Scientific Steering Committee (SSC), which includes chairman Professor Chris Pollock (Institute of Grassland & Environmental Research) and experts from academia and conservation organisations. The research is carried out by a consortium of research institutions - the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, the Scottish Crop Research Institute and the Institute of Arable Crops Research.
5. Researchers have investigated so far the effects on wildlife of the herbicide management associated with GM herbicide tolerant crops at 12 maize, 12 spring sown oilseed rape, 23 autumn sown and 24 beet sites. The SSC has decided that 32 maize, 32 spring sown oilseed rape and 26 beet sites should be included in the spring 2001 planting round. There has been no increase in the planned total number of sites over the 3 years.
6. Farmers participating in the evaluations will be encouraged to advise neighbouring farms of their plans to plant a GM crop.
7. The variety of GM oilseed rape to be grown this spring 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 for the farm scale evaluation programme must be sought from the Scottish Executive and UK Government. Approval for these sites will only be granted when Ministers are satisfied that the GM crop can be grown on notified sites without posing a threat to the environment or public safety.
8. More information about farm scale evaluations and GM policy is available on the Scottish Executive website www.scotland.gov.uk/gm.
News Release: SE0499/2001
28 Feb 2001