Executive holds key to GM decision

Originally from: PoppaC
                        
http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=200852004

Executive holds key to GM decision

JAMES REYNOLDS ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

OPPOSITION MSPs and environmental groups have called on the Scottish Executive to block GM crops and "stand up for the country they represent", after it was revealed that it does have the power to prevent the commercialisation of the technology in the UK.

The demand came after leaked Westminster cabinet committee papers confirmed that the government in London plans to proceed with the cultivation of the genetically modified maize strain Chardon LL in the UK, despite acknowledging that "the public was unlikely to be receptive".

The papers went on to suggest that "careful presentation" of the EU’s focus on evidence-based decision-making could help, and that opposition might eventually be worn down by the attrition of solid, authoritative scientific argument.

However, before any particular crop can be grown it needs to be added to the UK National Seed List, and the Executive has finally confirmed that this requires the consent of both the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly.

In a statement it said: "Any addition to the national list requires a collective decision by the devolved administrations and the Secretary of State."

Although GM maize was never tested in Scotland, as the northerly climate is not ideal for the crop, experts say there is still an important principle at stake.

Professor David Atkinson of the Scottish Agricultural College said: "We need to get the whole thing into perspective because the acreage of maize grown in Scotland is rather small. We are talking about less than 1,000 hectares in total, and it is being grown by something like 20 to 30 different farmers, so it is not a major issue for us in Scotland.

"The key issue is, of course, that it establishes a principle, so that if GM maize is agreed, then clearly we have a GM crop which could be grown in Scotland, and that in a sense crosses a Rubicon."

An Executive spokesman maintained that no decision on the commercialisation of GM crops had been taken and no announcement was imminent.

He added: "The Executive, along with other UK administrations, is considering advice from the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) on the farm-scale evaluation crops, the AEBC (Agriculture, Environment and Technology Commission) report and the outcome of the GM dialogue and their implications for future decisions."

But Patrick Harvie, the Green Party’s justice spokesman, accused the Scottish Executive of "fence-sitting" and claimed that its position was now "untenable".

He said: "The Executive does have the power to stop this, and if the power is not used then clearly the Scottish Executive is exposed as pro-GM. Ministers should come clean.

"The public does not want GM food, but the government appears ready to ignore popular opposition plus the advice of its own statutory advisers. The government has decided that public opinion on GM doesn’t matter."

"We must protect the rights of farmers to grow GM-free in Scotland and the rights of consumers to buy GM-free."

It was a call echoed by Roseanna Cunningham MSP, the SNP environment spokeswoman. She said: "It’s time for ministers to prove that they can stand up to London Labour. While Westminster is prepared to ignore Scottish interests, we cannot have Scottish ministers who do not stand up for the country they represent."

Duncan McLaren, the chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "The Scottish Executive has so far maintained a studied neutrality, but it’s time for Jack McConnell and Allan Wilson to get off the fence, and show that they understand the Scottish public’s concern by rejecting the proposal to add this GM crop to the national seed list."