GM Crop Farm-Scale Evaluations
Voluntary Agreement on the FSEs between Government and the Farming and Biotechnology Industry Body (SCIMAC)
Farm-Scale Evaluations of GM Crops in the UK
On 5 November 1999 Michael Meacher announced an agreement with the farming and biotechnology industry body, SCIMAC (the Supply Chain Initiative on Modified Agricultural Crops), on the conduct of the Farm Scale Evaluations, through until the end of the Evaluations following the harvest in 2003 of the crops planted in autumn 2002. The 5 November 1999 Press Release has been archived and can now be found at: www.nds.coi.gov.uk/coi/coipress.nsf. The background to the announcement and the text of the agreement is set out below.
Background
At the current time no GM crops have completed all the regulatory requirements necessary for them to be grown unrestricted in the UK for commercial purposes. However, GM fodder maize and oilseed rape, modified to be tolerant to glufosinate ammonium, and fodder beet modified to be tolerant to glyphosate, are closest to completing all hurdles.
European legislation covering the release of GMOs in Europe (90/220/EEC) is currently under revision. Part of the revision, known as Annex II, will require that an assessment of all direct, indirect, immediate and delayed effects of the GM crop to the environment is included in the application for consent for the GM crop to be marketed in the EU. Environment ministers in December 1998 agreed that Annex II of the revision to 90/220/EEC be taken into account ahead of the revised directive.
GM fodder maize and oilseed rape, modified to be tolerant to glufosinate ammonium, and fodder beet modified to be tolerant to glyphosate, already had applications for Part C marketing consent in the European system when the decision was taken to implement Annex II of the revised directive and broaden the scope of the risk assessment. The maize and oilseed rape are the crops now in the Government-funded farm-scale evaluations research programme. In parallel, industry has established equivalent baseline UK data for sugar beet according to the same principles, methodology and subject to the same independent scientific review.
In future all applications will automatically have to consider the likely impact on wildlife brought about by changes in management practice.
The Announcement
- Renewal of voluntary agreement between Government and industry on the conduct of the farm-scale evaluations, through until the end of the evaluations following harvest of crops planted in 2002.
- No general unrestricted cultivation of GM crops in the UK until the farm-scale evaluations are complete; no direct commercial benefit will be sought from these plantings by the consent-holders.
- Plantings for the farm-scale evaluations are limited to 20-25 fields per crop per year subject to the advice and requirements of the independent Scientific Steering Committee.
- Proposals for any other field scale plantings of these crops will be decided by the Scientific Steering Committee taking into account the relevance of the proposals to biodiversity.
- None of the produce from GM crop plantings in the UK will be used in a way which is of direct commercial benefit to the consent-holders during the farm-scale evaluation period.
The Agreement
General cultivation
There will be no wide spread planting leading to general market access
of GM crops grown in the UK until the farm-scale evaluations are complete.
Subsequent freedom to pursue widespread plantings leading to general market
access of GM crops grown in the UK will be dependent upon the recommendations
and advice Government receives from the Scientific Steering Committee
based on the results of the Farm Scale Biodiversity Evaluations, together
with all other relevant approvals required under current UK and EU legislation.
Proposals for any other field scale plantings of these crops during the farm-scale evaluation period will be based upon the advice of the Scientific Steering Committee in addition to existing UK and EU legislation requirements.
For the duration of the farm-scale evaluations, no direct commercial benefit will be sought from these plantings by the consent-holders.
Produce
The farm-scale evaluations are concerned with biodiversity, not food or
feed safety.
The produce of any GM crop may only enter the food or feed chain if it has all the appropriate UK and EU approvals.
Currently none of the GM crops within the farm-scale evaluations have all the necessary approvals to enter the UK food or feed chain.
None of the produce from GM crop plantings in the UK will be used in a way which is of direct commercial benefit to the consent-holders during the farm-scale evaluation period.
Should any GM crop grown in the UK receive full clearance for food or feed safety during the farm-scale evaluation period, the resulting produce will be utilised within identity-preserved channels which will ensure consumer choice can at all times be respected.
Generic results
The results of the farm-scale evaluations will be made publicly available.
They will also be considered of generic value when new consent applications
for herbicide tolerant oil seed rape, maize and sugar/fodder beet are
assessed. It will not be necessary for applicants to re-perform biodiversity
evaluations, but to demonstrate to the satisfaction of ACRE that the new
application is for a comparable crop.
Sugar/fodder beet
Biodiversity evaluations are being carried out on fodder beet in other
European countries. The Scientific Steering Committee will be asked to
advise whether the results of those studies would be adequate to determine
biodiversity impacts in the UK. They would also be asked to confirm the
equivalence of sugar and fodder beet. Subject to the Committee's advice,
sugar/fodder beet will, if appropriate, be included in the Government-funded
farm-scale evaluation programme under identical criteria to fodder maize
and oilseed rape for harvest years 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Industry will make available the baseline UK data for sugar/fodder beet generated in 1999 according to the same principles and methodology as the fodder maize and oilseed rape.
As with fodder maize and oilseed rape, industry will supply suitable field sites, the government will fund the biodiversity research using identical procedures, scale, protocols and timing as the other crops. The research will be overseen by the farm-scale evaluations scientific steering committee.
Scope and extent of the Farm Scale Biodiversity Evaluations
(i) The Government-funded Farm-Scale Biodiversity Evaluations will
involve the following crops and traits:
Spring Oilseed Rape - Herbicide Tolerance
Winter Oilseed Rape - Herbicide Tolerance
Maize - Herbicide Tolerance
Subject to the advice of the Scientific Steering Committee, herbicide tolerant beet (sugar/fodder) will be included in the Government-funded farm-scale biodiversity evaluations.
(ii) The final year of crop plantings within the Farm-Scale Biodiversity Evaluations is 2002. Following the Scientific Steering Committee's final year review and recommendations, the work programme of the Committee relating to the current objectives set and agreed will be concluded. No extension to this agreement will take place without further negotiation between Government and SCIMAC.
(iii) The Government will ask and expect the Scientific Steering Committee to review data and provide recommendations/ advice on or before end-October in 2002 of the Farm-Scale Biodiversity Evaluations.
(iv) The Government will ask and expect the Scientific Steering Committee to complete final year analysis and reporting of results for winter oilseed rape in time for autumn 2003 plantings to take place should the null hypothesis be confirmed.
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Page published 19 February
2001;
Page last modified
10 August, 2002