Scottish Government

This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007

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Final round of GM farm trials

03/07/2002

Details of Scottish sites proposed for participation in the final stage of GM farm scale evaluations will be published shortly.

The Executive announced that final decisions on whether these sites will receive approval will be taken later in the summer after a six week notification period.

This year is the third and final year of plantings of GM crops under the UK farm scale evaluation programme. This round would be the last of six in which GM oilseed rape has been grown in this research programme in Scotland.

The Executive recognises that there are some concerns amongst the public about GM crops. Consequently, we are committed to openness about the farm scale evaluations. It is important for the public to be aware of what is happening in their locality and why.

This farm trial programme is not testing the safety of the GM crops themselves. The growing of these crops in an agricultural environment would not be permitted if their safety had not already been established under controlled conditions over many years.

The GM crops being grown in this programme are modified to be tolerant to a specific herbicide. The purpose of this research is to provide valuable ecological data on which the Scottish Executive may ground any decision it makes regarding the commercial growing of this kind of GM crop.

The researchers will be comparing the impact on field biodiversity of farming the GM crops, using the herbicide to which they are tolerant, with the impact of farming a non-GM crop using conventional weed-control measures. The intrinsic safety of the crop for humans and the environment itself is not in question.

The procedure for identifying possible trial sites is as follows:

• Site selection takes place independently of Government
• Growers wishing to participate on the programme firstly register their interest with the seed company. All sites identified in this way are then passed to the team of researchers who are conducting the study
• If the researchers are satisfied that an individual site is suitable for this type of research work, they will add the site to a provisional site list which is then scrutinised by the body which oversees the evaluation programme
• This independent body, the Scientific Steering Committee, considers the list of all potential sites and will only endorse those which in its opinion will provide a sufficient and suitably representative set of results to meet the objectives of the evaluation programme
• The SSC has been considering the list of possible sites for autumn planting of GM oilseed rape and it is expected that details of those sites which meet their criteria will be passed to the Executive and UK Government for approval shortly
• Formal notification is not made until the seed company has confirmed with all the individual growers volunteering to grow the crop that they remain willing to be included on the programme
• As soon as the site information is passed to the Executive, the precise locations of any proposed Scottish sites - with six-figure grid references - will be announced and comments will be invited from interested parties. This information will also be placed on the Executive web-site at www.scotland.gov.uk/gm. The Executive will also write to a range of interested parties - including local authorities - to alert them to the proposals
• Public notices will be placed by the applicant in local newspapers in the area of any proposed sites. The formal notification period required by statute is only 15 days. However, in line with recommendations by the Agriculture & Environment Biotechnology Commission, Ministers have insisted upon an extended period to ensure that people with an interest are aware of the proposals and have the opportunity to comment if they wish
• Farmers participating in the evaluations are encouraged by the government and the industry to discuss their cropping plans at the earliest opportunity with their immediate neighbours. Government has also encouraged dialogue with local organic growers and beekeeping organisations to take account of their interests
• Upon receipt of the location details of potential sites, Scottish Ministers will determine whether or not to grant approval. In doing so, Ministers will take account of advice from the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency and Scottish Natural Heritage. They will also consider any representations submitted by the public
• Approval for Scottish sites to participate in the FSE evaluations will only be granted when Scottish Ministers are satisfied that the GM crop can be grown on the selected sites without posing a threat to the local environment or to public safety
• The exact timetable will be determined by the date when site details are formally notified to the Scottish Ministers; a decision on whether approval has been granted for individual sites is likely to be announced in late August. If approved, it is anticipated that the crops could be planted on Scottish sites immediately thereafter

At the end of the farm scale programme the results will be reported, made publicly available and considered by the Executive and the UK Government. The results will be one of the factors which will inform future decisions on whether GM crops have a commercial future in this country. There will be no commercial cultivation of GM crops in the UK at least until the trial programme is completed and evaluated.

The farm-scale evaluation programme is overseen by an independent Scientific Steering Committee whilst the research work itself is carried out by a consortium of research institutions.

The SSC is an independent body which ensures that the evaluations meet rigorous standards of scientific validity. It decides how many trial sites are needed in order to acquire representative scientific data. It also advises on the methodology used in the evaluations.

It handles the results of the programme, receiving progress reports from the research team twice yearly, which are published on the Internet. The Committee is Chaired by Professor Chris Pollock of the Institute of Grassland & Environmental Research and has members from the RSPB, Imperial College, The Game Conservancy Trust, English Nature and the Morely Research Centre.

The research is carried out by a consortium of 3 organisations:

1. The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
2. The Institute of Arable Crops Research
3. The Scottish Crop Research Institute