Reacting to the news that two farmers, listed by the DETR last week as part of 31 taking part in the GM farms scale trial programme, have pulled out in response to local opposition, Andy Tait, Greenpeace GM campaigner said,
" It is great news that farmers have responded to this strong local rejection of GM trials by pulling out of the farm scale trial programme,
"It is clear people living next to trial sites, with concerns about their livelihoods being threatened by cross contamination and losing the GM free status of their produce, are not prepared to tolerate GM being forced upon them,"
"In the desperate scramble to find sites the DETR seem to have announced locations for farmers who have not even signed contracts. And in complete contrast to the openness and transparency promised it seems that they are now also refusing to confirm which farms are actually involved in farm scale trials."
The sites that have been withdrawn from the trials include,
Friskney Tofts in the agricultural heartland of East Lindsay in Lincolnshire (TF 506 542), which was originally announced as a site for experimental GM sugar beet. However following opposition from local farmers, villagers and businesses farmer Andrew Roughton announced on BBC Radio Lincolnshire that he would not be going ahead with the trial. He also claimed that, despite government assurances during the launch of the programme last week, that he had not signed any contract tying him to conducting a trial.
Ulleskelf in Yorkshire (SE522 389), a local farmer due to take part in trials of fodder beet, today told Friends of the Earth today that 'the trial has been abandoned'.
Furthermore, according to an article in today's East Anglian Daily Times an oil seed rape trial site announced as taking place in Brockford Green/Wetheringset, Suffolk (TM125 650) is also not going ahead. In response to an article in the paper listing the site, Patrick Hitchcock of Shrublands Farm, Brockford Green stated that he is the only farmer in the Brockford Green area and has not signed up to host a GM trial.
Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace press office on: 020 7865 8255
