After three years of experimentation, the British scientists in October completed the cultivation of insecticide-resistant corn under experimental conditions and no effect was found on the plants and animals in the environment
British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his government approved the commercial cultivation of a genetically modified corn variety on Monday this week.
Environment Minister Margaret Beckett said that after three years of trials, the government basically approves the cultivation of insecticide-resistant corn. Beckett said she did not believe this maize would be commercially grown in the UK before the spring of 2005.
. The issue is one of the most sensitive in Britain. A series of public opinion polls revealed that the majority of the public opposes the cultivation of genetically modified plants that have been nicknamed "Frankenstein foods" by some tabloids.
Beckett said that the licenses to grow the genetically modified corn will expire in October 2006. The entities that will hold the licenses to grow corn will have to perform scientific analyzes during the cultivation in order to renew the planting rights.
Beckett says that the corn will have to grow under the same conditions as in the experiment. She also said that commercial growers would have to conduct scientific analyzes and monitor changes in herbicide use. "There is no further commercial cultivation of transgenic plants in the UK at the moment, but the government has conducted experiments in maize cultivation, a scientific review and cost-benefit studies.
After three years of experimentation, the British scientists in October completed the cultivation of insecticide-resistant corn under experimental conditions and no effect was found on the plants and animals in the environment.
In January, a government committee reached widespread approval of the findings, but earlier this month, a powerful committee of legislators determined that the experiments were not satisfactory, and urged the government to postpone making the decision until the results of additional experiments were received.
Spain is the only country in the European Union that allowed the planting of significant amounts of biotechnological grain, and there 32 thousand hectares of corn and grains were sown last year, an increase of about a third compared to 2002.
The announcement came after the British Medical Association (BMA) said that food products derived from genetically modified plants are highly likely to be safe and do not endanger health, but the association said that more research and follow-up is needed to allay public concerns and provide convincing evidence of the benefits of growing genetically modified plants.
Our assessment, reviewing all available research, is that there is minimal potential for genetically modified food to cause health problems," says David Carter, Chair of the British Medical Association's Scientific Committee.
However, the BMA recognizes the widespread public concern about the impact of genetically modified food and believes that there is still a need for research in key areas to allay public concerns about the potential risks to human health and the environment. Tony Jupiter, director of Friends of the Earth, called on the government to reverse its decision. "Tony Blair should not ignore the threat of genetic engineering to our food, agriculture and environment" he said.
