Government announcement on commercial GM cultivation due

Friday, 5 March 2004 12:00 AM

The government's long-awaited decision on whether to back commercial genetically modified crops in the UK will be announced next week.

Environment secretary, Margaret Beckett, is due to deliver a wide-ranging policy statement on GM technology.

The cabinet's decision follows three farm scale trials, a scientific review and a programme of public consultation.

However, the government's decision will not provide the green light for crops to be cultivated in Britain, as all applications for planting GM seeds must still be approved by the EU in Brussels.

The prime minister's official spokesman said ministers had discussed the issue at a cabinet and have discussed a recommendation already made by a special cabinet committee.

He told reporters: "You can take it we are on course for an announcement. There will be an announcement next week and I am sure all will be revealed then."

Meanwhile, a report by the influential Environmental Audit Committee looks set to reject any plans to grow GM crops commercially in Britain.

The all-party committee of MPs is likely to criticise GM technology as fundamentally flawed and urge the government to allow further trials before allowing commercial growing to go ahead.

Liberal Democrat food and rural affairs spokesman Andrew George, commenting on the Environmental Audit Committee's forthcoming report, said: "If these reports are true, the Government will have to realise that its policy on GM crops has finally been blown out of the water.

"It would be foolish to decide to grow GM maize in the UK following such strong cross-party criticism of the science on which the decision would be based."

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