agriculture

Genetic scientists are altering life itself - artificially modifying genes to produce plants and animals which could never have evolved naturally. The products of their labours are already present in the food we eat and the fields around us, even though little is known about the long term effects on human health and the environment.

The risks are enormous and the consequences potentially catastrophic, and yet the new technology is being rapidly introduced into every aspect of our lives with little regard for safety.

Conventional rape seed (canola) from Canada sold by Advanta has become contaminated with Monsanto Roundup Ready Rape. The contamination happened by cross-pollination to a batch of conventional hybrid rapeseed sold as Hyola 38, Hyola 330 and Hyola 401. The GM variety is Monsanto's RT73 (also known as GT73) and resistant to Monsanto's weedkiller 'Roundup'.

Over half the soya and a quarter of the maize grown in the United States is genetically modified (GM). While some of the crops are destined for human consumption, the majority are fed to the animals that provide our meat and dairy products. In fact, around 90% of world soya bean production is used for animal feed.

Market place will reject GM wine

Overwhelming demand for meat fed on non-GM diet

Greenpeace has consistently argued that genetically modified (GM) crops should not be released into the environment, and since 1996 that they should not be introduced into the food chain. This view is shared by much of the British public. GM ingredients have been removed from most human food products; now attention is turning to the feeding of GM crops to animals.

Polls by the major supermarkets have shown clearly that consumers do not want animals to be fed GM diets: