There could be chaos in the countryside if the government's maize field trial plans go ahead
Greenpeace predicts chaos in the countryside as a result of the Government's decision to give the green light to the commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) maize.
Planting GM crops is a risk that isn't wanted or needed in the UK (or anywhere else). The general public and even the Government's own scientists and economists have all said no to GM. The green light from the Government comes despite its repeated claim that a decision was yet to be made.
A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed Cabinet voted on the issue on 4th March. The vote saw the Government agree to go ahead with commercialising GM maize.
The confirmation came after cabinet minutes were leaked to the BBC. The minutes rightly predicted there will be opposition to the Government's decision, which is contrary to public, scientific and economic opinion.
Greenpeace believes Blair has picked another fight with the British people. "Once again he's pushing a pet project in spite of the evidence," said campaigner Sarah North. "There are thousands of people ready to fight this decision in the fields, the streets, the courts and the supermarkets. There could be chaos in the countryside."
"British farmers are already suffering, and the last thing they need is a new threat from a technology that shoppers won't touch," she said. "Blair is giving it the nod on the basis of flawed testing. If GM is sowed in our fields he will reap a whirlwind of protest."
The Government wants to commercialise GM maize because the recent farm-scale trials appeared to show how good GM maize was for the environment. However, GM maize only passed these tests because it's impact on wildlife was compared to conventional maize, which uses a weed killer so toxic it has now been banned in Europe.
If GM maize is grown in the UK it will be used to feed the dairy cows which produce our milk. Unless you buy organic, the milk from supermarkets like Sainsbury's will come from cows fed on GM animal feed. This GM maize - thousands of tonnes of it every month - is currently imported from the US. Recent research has shown just how damaging growing GM is for the US environment.
Greenpeace believes the commercial growing of GM crops in the UK would be a disaster for farming and the countryside because there are no rules in place to stop GM contaminating organic and non-GM crops. We know that GM crops are risky and at the moment there is no legal protection for UK farmers from the damage they cause. If something goes wrong, the GM companies will get off scot free while the tax payer foots the bill.
