Press Release

Soil Association response to ACRE report

13 January 2004

ACRE (the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment) has today
issued a report to the Government following the results of the GM
field-scale evaluations. ACRE looked at whether the results of the FSEs
meet European criteria for banning GM crops on environmental grounds.

The report says that if GM oil seed rape and sugar beet are grown
commercially, they will result in damage to the environment: herbicides
used on GM crops adversely affect weeds and insects and will lead to loss
of bird life.

ACRE said that more investigation is needed into GM maize because the
herbicide used at present ? atrazine ? is due to be banned. ACRE said that
in the meantime, if GM maize is grown, it must be managed in exactly the
same way as in the field scale evaluations: this means that only one type
of herbicide can be used.

Peter Melchett, the Soil Association's policy director said, "We welcome
ACRE's decision on GM oilseed rape and sugar beet.

"But when it comes to GM maize, evidence from America shows that it is
only practical to use one type of herbicide for the first few years. After
that, more herbicides are needed."

The Soil Association points out that the FSEs were the first time,
anywhere in the world, that the environmental impact of GM crops was
considered compared with non-GM equivalents. This happened because of the
insistence of Michael Meacher when he was the environment minister.
According to the Soil Association, ACRE's consultation implies that in
future all chemical companies must provide similar data on all GM crops.

ACRE's report says that the findings of the FSEs "have implications for
agriculture in general". This is because although GM crops were generally
a disaster for the environment, the research has shown that non-GM maize,
sugar beet and oil seed rape also do great environmental damage.

ACRE's report suggests that all major changes in agricultural practice
should be assessed. The report states: "all major changes in agricultural
practice (including, for example, the use of herbicide-tolerant crops
produced by conventional breeding), not just those associated with GM
crops, may need to be scrutinised in terms of their environmental impact".

Peter Melchett said,"We strongly agree that all new pesticides, new crops
and other changes to agricultural practice should be assessed for their
environmental impact. Organic farmers would warmly welcome this."


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Version 033.1 | Issued13/01/2004