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Science Forum Index » Agriculture Forum » LEAKED LETTERS SHOW BRITAIN TO GIVE GM CROPS THE GO-AHEAD: R
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| David Kendra |
 Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2003 6:56 pm |
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LEAKED LETTERS SHOW BRITAIN TO GIVE GM CROPS THE GO-AHEAD: REPORT
September 21, 2003
Agence France Presse English
LONDON - The Sunday Times in London was cited as reporting that leaked
letters show that Britain plans to back European Union rules which would
give the green light to the commercial growing of genetically modified (GM)
crops and that ministers will support moves in Brussels to ban GM-free zones
and allow the "co-existence" of GM with conventional crops.
The story says that the correspondence, detailed in The Sunday Times, comes
ahead of the publication next month of the long-awaited results of GM crop
trials in Britain.
A September 5 letter from Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett to top
government colleagues indicated that she will support EU proposals at a
meeting of EU agriculture ministers at the end of the month, writing, "I am
proposing that we broadly support the (European) Commission's guidelines as
providing a reasonable basis to address the issue."
She attached a summary of the EU rules, which state that "no form of
agriculture (conventional, organic, GM) should be excluded from the EU.
Co-existence measures should be developed and implemented by member states
because farming patterns across the EU are so diverse," the letter adds,
according to the same source.
In reply, Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt was quoted as
writing,: "I agree that our interests are best served by giving broad
support to the Commission guidelines. We must also bear in mind the
potential impact (on) EU-US relations." |
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