Tim Yeo: End GM Contamination of Britain’s Organic Farms 25may01

Conservative Party letter to Michael Meacher

Tim Yeo is the Agriculture Spokesman

25th May, 2001

The Rt Hon Michael Meacher,

Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions,
Eland House,
Bressenden Place
London SW1E 5DU

Since my last letter to you (17 May 2001) the GM crop trial at Wolston has been abandoned. This will be a great relief to the Henry Doubleday Research Association, however I would like to draw your attention to two unresolved issues:

Firstly, the decision to withdraw the Wolston trial was taken by the GM companies and not by the Government. It is essential that Ministers should be able to step in and withdraw crop trial licenses wherever the GM-free status of neighbouring sites is compromised. Ministerial abdication of responsibility to the GM companies and assorted semi-independent committees is not acceptable.

Secondly, if, as you yourself have made clear, it is unacceptable to license a GM crop trial within cross-pollination of Ryton Organic Gardens, why is it acceptable to license similar trials at similar distances to organic farms up and down the country? The only consistent policy would be to scrap all GM crop trials that could damage organic farmland.

I would ask you to clarify the powers and responsibilities of Ministers in the issuing and withdrawal of GM crop trial licenses. And I would ask the Government, in the light of the Wolston decision, to lift the threat of GM contamination from all of Britain’s organic farms, by ending any crop trial within cross-pollination distance.

This will be the policy of an incoming Conservative Government, but this matter cannot wait even another two weeks.

Yours sincerely, 

Tim Yeo