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Evaluating GM crops and foods in the UK

Evaluating GM crops and foods in the UK. Sue Mayer GeneWatch UK www.genewatch.org. Outline. Current UK situation How arrived at The farm scale evaluations and indirect impacts Implications of centralised decision making under Food and Feed Regs 1829/2003. UK situation.

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Evaluating GM crops and foods in the UK

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  1. Evaluating GM crops and foods in the UK Sue Mayer GeneWatch UK www.genewatch.org

  2. Outline • Current UK situation • How arrived at • The farm scale evaluations and indirect impacts • Implications of centralised decision making under Food and Feed Regs 1829/2003

  3. UK situation • No GM crops grown in UK • GM soya and maize imported for animal feed • Consultations on coexistence and liability (economic and environmental) rules about to start • Government commitment not to grow GM crops until rules in place

  4. How UK position arrived at • Considerable public opposition • Concerns from conservation groups about impacts of GMOs on biodiversity - farm-scale evaluations • GM debate: • GM science review - acknowledged uncertainties • costs and benefits evaluation - market dependent • public debate - skeptical about risk vs benefit

  5. GM farm scale evaluations • Investigate effects of indirect effects on biodiversity of growing GM herbicide tolerant crops • GM sugar beet (glyphosate tolerant); winter and spring oilseed rape (glufosinate tolerant) surprisingly clear adverse effects including on weed seed bank, some bees and butterflies in field margins • GM maize (glufosinate tolerant) compared to atrazine (now banned) had less adverse effects on biodiversity

  6. Implications for UK • Decline in farmland bird species associated with intensive agriculture • GM herbicide tolerant oilseed rape/sugar beet likely to increase pressure on bird and other species • UK will vote against proposals

  7. European consents • Food and Feed Regulations give Europe-wide consent • Concerns about agricultural biodiversity may not given weight by EFSA GMO panel (ecologists poorly represented; GMOs given benefit of the doubt) • Commission will rely on EFSA panel • Difficult to access documents • Regional issues likely to be marginalised

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