GM Field Trials - Three-Quarters Of The British Public Don't Want Them

Just over three-quarters of the British public are opposed to field trials of generically modified crops. In response to this public demand, Greenpeace is calling for all GM field trials, including the Governments 'farm-scale' trials, to be stopped and the money spent on organic research.

Wishes of the public

New polling data, conducted by MORI for Greenpeace, shows that nearly three quarters of the public (73%) do not want GM crops grown because the inevitable contamination of organic crops is unacceptable, and a similar number (74%) would be concerned about any change in the definition of organic crops to allow GM crops to be grown. More than three quarters (79%) do not want any testing of GM crops on farmland, and a majority would oppose any large scale field trial done in their local area.

This poll is consistent with other findings such as that in February this year¹, showing that 81% of the public would like food producers to put research funding into organic rather than GM foods.

The public view is clear - don't contaminate organic crops or change standards to allow GM crops, and don't do field trials on farmland. Recent MAFF research² indicates that contamination of organic crops is inevitable if GM agriculture goes ahead.

How does this public preference compare with the way research money is actually being spent?

Government spending of public funds has been 3 to 1 in favour of GM compared to organic agriculture in recent years, and this has not changed since the last election.

These figures do not include the 1633.3 million the Government plans to spend on farmscale trials of GM crops over the next four years.

The figures also understate the amount of public money spent on GM; because the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC; Government funded, dispenser of research money) will not distinguish between projects for agricultural genetic engineering and 'biotechnology'. In both 1997-98 and 1998-99, BBSRC spent around 16314 million on biotechnology (including genetic engineering).

Greenpeace believe that in view of the clear opposition of the public, the inevitability and irreversibility of genetic pollution, all field trials should be stopped and the money spent on research into better and more effective methods of organic production.

Organic research outstanding

There is no shortage of areas that require researching in the organic sphere that have the potential to enhance the quantity and quality of organic produce available. Areas identified by Greenpeace are:

• Improving understanding of soil microbial ecology and structure in organic vs conventional systems - only a small fraction of microbes in the soil have even been identified, never mind understanding and exploiting of their interactions and role in fertility.
• Nutritional aspects of organic food compared to conventional food - the Soil Association and the Bristol Cancer Research Centre did a review of research in this field two years ago; around 330 research papers were referenced, but almost no research has been carried out in the UK into nutritional advantages of organic food compared to conventional or GM food.

Organic conversion funding runs out

• It is estimated by the Soil Association that the Government's official grant aid scheme, which enables farmers to convert to organic farming, will run out of funds by the beginning of July; leaving many farmers wishing to convert to organic production without any possibility of support until next year at the earliest. If switched, the 1633.3m earmarked for GM field trials would enable the Government to meet demand from organic farmers.

Technical details

¹Audience Selection Phonebus poll on generically modified food, February 1999. ²'Moyes C.L. and Dale, P.S., 1999. Organic Farming and Gene Transfer from Genetically Modificd Crops, Joh.n Innes Centre, Norwich MORI interviewed a representative sample of 501 adults aged 16+, by telephone, across Britain between 12-13 June 1999