A NEW REPORT from the Government’s Science and Technology Committee has been published, which claims that the current EU policy on GM Crop production is ‘not fit for purpose’ and puts the UK ‘at risk’ of losing out.
According to MPs the changes to EU law that allows countries to decide the level of GM crop production in individual state nations do not go far enough and further reform is needed.
The report outlined concerns that current regulatory system could allow some countries to block the growth of GM crops in other nations, who have their hands tied by group legislation.
Committee chair Andrew Miller said: “Opposition to genetically modified crops in many European countries is based on values and politics, not science. The scientific evidence is clear that crops developed using genetic modification pose no more risk to humans, animals or the environment than equivalent crops developed using more ‘conventional’ techniques.
“Unfortunately, the way the EU’s regulatory system works means that countries opposed to genetically modified crops can block their growth in other countries.”
Science groups welcomed the report, particularly its potential impact on food shortages. Professor Ottoline Leyser from the University of Cambridge said: “I particularly welcome the call to reframe and widen the debate around how best to ensure the integrity, sustainability and security of our food supply chain. The so-called GM debate has shed much heat but very little light on these issues, which surely must be top of the agenda for the 21st century.”
