GM DEBATE RAISES THE TEMPERATURE - EVEN HIGHER!

This press release was posted on : 18th July 2003

An overwhelming nine out of ten local people voted against genetically modified (GM) foods being farmed in the UK this week, at what turned into a heated debate at Lakewood Conference Centre, Blagdon, Somerset.

The lively event, sponsored by local producers Yeo Valley Organic and the Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative (OMSCo), allowed more than 100 people in the region to voice their opinions about GM and be included in the national discussion - the results will be fed back to Government to help inform their policy-making on GM.

The event saw the case for the introduction of GM supported by Professor Vivian Moses, co-ordinator of an EU programme looking at biotech education (the Cropgen panel), and Tony Combes, Public Affairs Director at Monsanto. Professor Moses raised what he viewed as an 'acute and necessary issue' for the EU, of how different systems of agriculture in the same land area can coexist. He stated:

"The stuff is out. It is in 22 countries. You can assume that already GM is everywhere, and if it isn't everywhere now, it will be everywhere. The world moves on in all sorts of ways and this is one of them."

Speakers Peter Melchett, Policy Director of the Soil Association and Nathan Argent of Greenpeace countered the motion. Melchett stated:

"There is huge uncertainty not just in the process but in the impact it might have on you, on your children, and on the environment. It would be stupid to go ahead."

He quoted Dr Barry Commoner of City University, New York, "Genetically engineered crops represent a huge and uncontrolled experiment whose outcome is inherently unpredictable."

The packed audience, which included scientists, doctors, farmers, MPs, local business people, interested members of the public and a range of pro and anti GM campaigners, voted an overwhelming 87% against the introduction of GM. Sue MacGregor, famed for her work on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, skilfully managed questions as the debate became increasingly passionate.

"This is a subject many people in the UK feel very strongly about. We sponsored this event to give people in this region the opportunity to express their views, be heard, and attend a debate local to them", commented Sally Bagenal, Chief Executive of OMSCo, and Ben Cull, Marketing Director of Yeo Valley Organic. "Our key concern is how GM and organic farmers can possibly coexist in the UK. This event provided the local community with an excellent forum to contribute to the national GM Nation debate".

As one general practitioner in the audience stated, "It took 20 years and some 20,000 scientific papers to establish that smoking causes lung cancer. It's no wonder that there is no evidence yet of human problems from GM foods."

A summary of the debate is available on the OMSCo and Yeo Valley websites, www.organicmilk.co.uk and www.yeovalley.co.uk . You can also sign up online at these sites for a copy of the full report to be sent to you.

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For previews of the report content, photography or interviews please contact Katy Bedingfield, Tim Ledeboer or Amy Shackleton on 0117 922 7799.

Editors notes:

• Example questions from the audience:

Dr Richard Lawson, a GP from Congresbury, Somerset:

It took 20 years and some 20,000 scientific papers to establish that smoking causes lung cancer. It’s no wonder that there is no evidence yet of human problems from GM foods. And if we don’t get GM labelling, we will never get to that point. Clear labelling on foods is a vital part of epidemiological studies.

Jonathan Harrington, Independent Crop Consultant, Brecon, Powys

Crop breeders have been manipulating genes for 70 years. How can the GM protesters reject GM, yet find the mutation of crops perfectly acceptable?

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