Daily Express, Friday July 23, 1999 (front page/banner headline)

OUTRAGE OVER GM SPIN TEAM

Taxpayer funds propaganda unit as crop trials soar from 6 to 75 

EXCLUSIVE BY JOHN INGRAM,  ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT 

A PROPAGANDA unit for genetically modified food is operating at the
heart of government, it was claimed last night. 

The so-called GM Communications Unit was set up in the Cabinet Office
this week to "get the facts out" on an issue that has raised widespread
public fears. But environmentalists have branded it a spin doctor
operation to assist the biotech industry at taxpayers' expense.

The unit under the control of Cabinet Enforcer Jack Cunningham sparked
outrage after appearing to intervene on behalf of a biotech firm which
The Express had approached over a GM story. 

It comes at a time when ministers and the biotech giants are planning a
12-fold increase in controversial farm-scale trials of GM crops next
year. The pressure group GeneWatch has discovered the intention is to
move from six farm-scale trials covering about 125 acres to about 75
trials covering up to 9,000 acres. 

The creation of the Communications Unit comes as major retailers have
moved to ban GM ingredients from their foods. While its role is to
coordinate the Government's media presentation of its policy on GM
issues, one of its first acts was to intervene in an Express inquiry
into the future farm-scale trials. The Express rang a private biotech
firm, AgrEvo, about genetically modified crops only for the Cabinet
Office to contact us to offer more information. 

Though The Express had not contacted the Cabinet Office, the official
there knew details of the story. 

An AgrEvo spokesman said later: "I contacted the Department of the
Environment to check the facts I was giving you." The spokesman then
referred to a letter in our possession, adding: "I wanted to check
whether the letter you had obtained was in the public domain. If not, I
thought the Department ought to know." 

Adrian Bebb, of campaign group Friends of the Earth, said: "This
response suggests that biotech firms could be working with the
Government, alerting their propaganda machine to any difficult stories. 

"The Government's job is not to get into bed with industry and spin its
stories. The Government's job is to make sure these crops and foods are
safe." Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Norman Baker said: "It
seems the Cabinet Office has been captured by the biotech industry. This
is a biotech spin unit which needs to be hit for six." 

GeneWatch spokeswoman Dr Sue Mayer said: "This is extraordinary. It
sounds as if the Cabinet Office is acting as a PR agency for the biotech
industry. This is a really disturbing way of spending public money." 

Dr Mayer revealed that the biotech industry wants to increase the number
of farm-scale trials dramatically, seeking permission for each of the 75
sites to cover an area of up to 125 acres compared to the current norm
of 25 acres. 

Last night, a spokesman for the GM Communications Unit said: "The
Government is responsible for making sure GM crops and food are safe. 

"We are not doing PR for the industry. We are doing PR for the
Government. We want to see the Government's interests represented. We
are openminded about the results of the research. We are not going to
lobby for the industry or for the green factions. We want to act as an
umpire, to ensure that the facts of the matter are getting across." 

The unit, which is likely to expand, is currently headed by a No.10
Downing Street aide and staffed by officials from the Ministry of
Agriculture, and the Departments of Environment and Trade and Industry. 

The new crop trials will be discussed today at a London meeting between
Government officials and Green campaigners.


THE EXPRESS editorial

Feeding GM confusion

EXISTING tests on genetically modified crops on British farms are
already causing the public considerable unease. The revelation that
these trials are to increase from six to 75 next year smacks of
railroading the electorate. 

Now the Government has set up a new team of up to six press officers to
work solely on this issue. There is nothing wrong with the Government
creating a department to provide the public with balanced information on
GM food. After all, it is supposed to be regulating the trials but these
developments when viewed together take on a more sinister image. They
would suggest that the Government is intent on foisting GM food upon us
whether we want it or not. At best, this is ignoring public concerns.
At worst, it tells us they are in the pocket of the GM giants.