Show us evidence of GM disaster says environment minister

Prince Charles has called the spread of GM crops an environmental disaster

Sunday, 17, Aug 2008 09:56

A senior minister has called for evidence of the damage done by genetically-modified (GM) crops to be put forward.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, environment minister Phil Woolas responded to Prince Charles' statement that further growing of GM crops would result in an "absolute disaster".

While Mr Woolas said that the heir to the throne had raised "important doubts" about the cultivation of fruits and vegetables altered by science, he said policy needed to be formed on scientific bases.

He told the paper: I'm grateful to Prince Charles for raising the issue. He raises some very important doubts that are held by many people. But government ministers have a responsibility to base policy on science and I do strongly believe that we have a moral responsibility to the developing world to ask the question: can GM crops help?

"It's easy for those of us with plentiful food supplies to ignore the issue, but we have a responsibility to use science to help the less well off where we can. I'm asking to see the evidence. If it has been a disaster, then please provide the evidence," the environment minister added.

Mr Woolas also said that he saw no link between the planting of GM crops and increased climate change.

Prince Charles, a keen campaigner for environmental issues, said last week that the use of "clever genetic engineering" was sure to cause the "biggest disaster environmentally of all time".

He stated that the consequences of such growing practices would lead to farmers being driven off their land and greater insecurity about food supplies.