Greenpeace briefing
In spring 1999, following widespread calls for a halt to the development of genetically modified (GM) crops in the UK, the Government proposed a four-year programme of farm scale trials. The trials are designed to compare the environmental impact of herbicide use on GM crops with its use on conventional crops and see 'what effect, if any, the farming of GM crops would have on the environment'.
This was an attempt to placate consumers and conservationists about the safety and environmental impact of GM crops while at the same time keeping the door open for the commercial growing of GM crops in the UK.
