A Nottinghamshire farmer announced last night that he has decided to back out of plans to grow a farm-scale experiment of herbicide resistant oil seed rape, on behalf of agrochemical company AgrEvo, following concern from local residents.
David Rose, of Home Farm in Screveton, backed out of plans to grow winter GM oil seed rape after local people, including farmers and beekeepers, expressed their concern at a public meeting held at Syerston Village Hall last month, that the GM crops would contaminate the environment.
"These people who have stood up against AgrEvo and voiced their concern about GM pollution should be congratulated. This is another sign that Tony Blair's great GM experiment is failing at the hands of the public. The government should cancel the farm scale trial programme, ban GM food and put its energy into supporting organic and sustainable farming. That's what people in the UK want and Tony Blair is a fool if he believes he can ignore it," said Greenpeace campaign director, Sarah Burton.
The GM oil seed rape crop was one of four farm-scale GM experiments planned for the winter. It is also the fourth farm-scale GM trial to have been halted this year. Fifty smaller GM sites have also been stopped.
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