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NEWS RELEASE

Ref: 410/07
Date: 8 November 2007

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Defra publishes summary of responses to GM coexistence consultation

Defra has today published a summary of the responses it received to its 2006  consultation paper on proposals for managing the coexistence of GM and non-GM crops in England.

In a Written Ministerial Statement, Environment Minister Phil Woolas MP today also set out Defra’s position on taking forward coexistence measures.

Phil Woolas said:

“GM crops may be approved for cultivation here in the future, if they pass the rigorous safety assessment procedure that is in place.  We need to be ready for that possibility, and the consultation on coexistence measures has been an important step forward in that process.

We will now await various developments before taking our coexistence plans any further, but our intention remains to have pragmatic measures in place before any commercial GM cropping.”    

Expected developments include:

  • The publication by spring 2008 of reports from three research projects on coexistence (one Defra funded and two EU funded)
    • The adoption by the EU of thresholds for labelling adventitious GM presence in seeds.  This impacts on coexistence measures, and it is therefore advisable to await clarification of the thresholds to be adopted.  

    Notes to editors

    1. Defra received over 11,000 responses to the consultation.  The summary of responses is available at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/crops/index.htm#Coexistence
    2. The Written Ministerial Statement can be found at www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/ministers/statements/pw071108a.htm
    3. The coexistence consultation asked for comments on the practical measures that farmers may need to take to segregate GM crops from conventional and organic crops, so that people can choose between them.  The Defra consultation paper can be found at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/crops/pdf/gmcoexist-condoc.pdf
    4. Currently there are no GM crops that have the necessary EU authorisation and would be relevant for commercial cultivation in the United Kingdom.  For a GM crop to receive EU marketing approval, evidence must show that it is safe for human health and the environment.
    5. The three research reports on coexistence that are due to be published by spring 2008 relate to the following projects:
      1. the EU-funded ‘Co-Extra’ project (background available at http://www.coextra.eu/)
      2. the EU-funded ‘SIGMEA’ project (background at http://sigmea.dyndns.org)
      3. a Defra-funded project on cross-pollination between maize crops (details available at http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=None&Completed=0&ProjectID=12001#Description
    6. In due course the EU is expected to adopt specific legal thresholds for labelling adventitious GM presence in conventional seed stocks.  These thresholds will govern what level of GM material might be in the seeds used by non-GM farmers.  This is relevant to establishing what coexistence measures need to achieve to minimise any further possible transfer of GM material into non-GM crops. 

    End

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    Page published: 8 November 2007

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs