A group of protesters yesterday raised their own anti-GM flag at the Bayer CropScience factory in Widnes, to hammer home the message given by the British public in the government’s recent consultation – NO to GM crops in the UK!
The results of the “GM Nation” public consultation exercise were released yesterday and saw 9 out of 10 people saying they don’t want to eat GM food, that GM crops will damage our environment and that the companies pushing GM are doing it purely for their own profit. Bayer CropScience owns all the varieties set to become Britain’s first commercial GM crops – and its Chief Exec also chairs the Agricultural Biotechnology Council (ABC), is a member of the Agriculture & Environment Biotechnology Commission (AEBC) and was on the expert panel for the Prime Minister's strategy unit that looked at the costs and benefits of GM crops*.
One of the protesters, Lucy Watson said, “The GM Nation report stated that a vast majority of the respondents do not trust the government or government experts – and it’s obvious why that is, when those experts & advisors stand to make millions out of this technology”.
The protest was part of an ongoing campaign to force Bayer CropScience to pull out of GM commercialisation in the UK and the protestors promised frequent visits this site and other Bayer sites around the country.
For further information and updates on recent actions, see the Target Bayer web-site:
www.stopbayergm.org
* Paul Rylett, see
http://www.gmjury.org/witness_paul.htm
One of the protesters, Lucy Watson said, “The GM Nation report stated that a vast majority of the respondents do not trust the government or government experts – and it’s obvious why that is, when those experts & advisors stand to make millions out of this technology”.
The protest was part of an ongoing campaign to force Bayer CropScience to pull out of GM commercialisation in the UK and the protestors promised frequent visits this site and other Bayer sites around the country.
For further information and updates on recent actions, see the Target Bayer web-site:
www.stopbayergm.org
* Paul Rylett, see
http://www.gmjury.org/witness_paul.htm
Comments
Hide the following 2 comments
More on this
01.10.2003 12:32
steve
Bayer Halts GM Trials
03.10.2003 15:27
*****Top GM food company abandons British crop trials*****
Robin McKie, science editor
Sunday September 28, 2003
The Observer
A key GM crop developer, Bayer, has decided to halt UK trials of
genetically modified plants. The move is seen as a major blow to the
industry. Bayer was the last company carrying out GM trials in the
UK, though it said yesterday it hoped to start up again soon when
conditions were 'more favourable'.
The company blamed Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett for its
decision. Her insistence that the locations of all trial sites be
made public had forced its hand, a spokesman told The Observer.
Until last week, Bayer CropScience, Bayer's crop subsidiary. believed
it was close to a deal that would allow GM crop test sites - which
are regularly destroyed by protesters - to be kept secret. Instead of
having to publish exact map references for fields, companies would
only have to name the county in which it was holding a trial.
The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment had said this
vaguer notification was 'acceptable in terms of risk assessment',
while the police have always complained that explicit disclosure of
test site locations has been a major factor in aiding 'crop-
trashers'. But at the last minute the Department of Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (Defra) told Bayer it would not support this change
in regulations.
'In the absence of any moves to ensure the security for trials, Bayer
CropScience has no choice, therefore, but to cease its variety trial
activities in the UK for this coming season,' said the official. 'It
is disappointing the criminal activities of a small minority of
people have prevented information on GM crop varieties being
generated.'
Most GM crop trials carried out over the past few years have been
sabotaged, not only those of Bayer. Other companies have pulled out.
Now Bayer, the last to continue with them, has decided to call it a
day. The current 'brain drain' of UK agricultural scientists to the
US and Canada is now only likely to intensify.
The fact that companies also specifically blame Beckett for this
latest blow is particularly intriguing. Last week, a letter from
Beckett to her fellow Ministers said Britain should back EU laws that
ban all GM-free zones, a move that would give the go-ahead to the
commercial growing of GM crops here.
But as long as test GM trials are exposed to sabotage, the prospects
of commercial growing look remote. 'This is a back-door moratorium,'
said an industry source.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Note from the Campaign
Although this is good news, it doesn't mean that Bayer have pulled
out of GM completely (yet!), just that they're not going to do any
more trials in the UK - they can still potentially produce the 9
seeds that are due to be commercially grown. However, it shows
they're on the retreat already and with continued pressure they'll
abandon their plans for GM in the UK altogether.
Tangle