Ministers yesterday paved the way for genetically modified crops to be grown commercially in Britain from 2009 and warned consumers of organic and conventional food they might have to put up with some GM contamination. Ian Pearson, the environment minister, infuriated the organic movement by saying "in the real world, you can t have zero cross-pollination" between crops, and called instead for "precautionary, science-based and pragmatic co-existence".

The Soil Association, the standardbearer for the organic movement in Britain, condemned the government s position, claiming that the future of organic foods would be threatened unless a maximum limit of 0.1% GM contamination of foods could be guaranteed. The campaigners are concerned that consumer confidence would be eroded or that products would have to be labelled GM.

Under EU labelling rules, foods would have to be declared GM only if they had more than 0.9% contamination. Although ministers are prepared to consider a lower level for the organic movement, that too would have to be approved by the EU. Peter Melchett, policy director of the Soil Association, said it was appalled ministers were not committed to protecting the organic market, which grew 30% last year with £1.6bn sales, two-thirds of primary produce being home-grown.

"The prime minister is promoting a technology that is well past its sell-by date. In 1999 the Soil Association had a meeting with Tony Blair to discuss GM. He said that, because he was sure that GM food would become a major part of the British economy in a few years time, he had to be in favour of it, even if the British people were against. Since then GM crops have contributed nothing to the UK economy ... the British people have overwhelmingly rejected GM food."

A consultation document on proposals for GM farming in England said farmers would have to tell their neighbours what they were growing and would have a duty to keep a minimum distance of up to 110 metres between crops. These rules would be checked at random and failure to obey could lead to fines up to £5,000. Ministers are also against a public register of farms growing GM crops, fearing it would be too bureaucratic and that protesters might trash fields. The first GM crops are not expected in Britain for at least three years, since insect-resistant maize seeds so far approved by the EU are not suitable for cultivation here. Other types of maize, oil seed rape, beet and potatoes may soon follow.

Mr Pearson denied the government was giving the green light for GM, but added once EU licences were given to GM varieties, "we have a responsibility to be fully prepared". That could mean lower levels being set for accidental GM contamination in organic products, "but we should not kid ourselves that levels of nought or 0.1% are either practical or realistic."

The National Farmers Union was more guarded. Its response to government would support measures "that will ensure that no sector or system is compromised or disadvantaged by another". In a separate announcement, the government dismissed calls from the independent Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution for buffer zones free of spray around houses, schools, hospitals and retirement homes.
(Por James Meikle, The Guardin, 21/07/2006)