FRIEND OF THE EARTH
Press  Release
Embargo: 00:01 Tues 5 February 2001

GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG GIVES STARK WARNING OVER GM WEEDS

Super weeds, resistant to a number of herbicides, are already resulting
from growing  genetically modified crops, a new report from the UK
Government's nature watchdog warns today. The findings will increase
fears about the threat posed by GM crop trials growing in the UK to
neighbouring crops and the environment.

English Nature carried out research into a herbicide-tolerant oilseed
rape crop in Canada. It discovered that "genes from separate GM
varieties can accumulate ('gene stacking') in plants that grow from seed
spilled at harvest (volunteer plants)...these plants are now resistant
to several widely used herbicides, with farmers regularly resorting to
old herbicides to control them" . This may lead farmers "to use
different, and more environmentally damaging, herbicides to control
them".

English Nature is also concerned that:

. the GM industry's planned separation distances for commercially grown
GM crops in the UK are "probably inadequate to prevent gene stacking
happening in Britain"
. the European Commission proposal that a threshold of 0.7 % GM seed
should be allowed in batches of conventional crop seed would be a recipe
for gene stacking.

Last week Friends of the Earth attacked the Government for allowing a
new round of GM oilseed rape trials to proceed with inadequate
separation distances. FOE estimates that neighbouring conventional and
organic crops within a three mile radius are under threat from GM
contamination. Separation distances between GM oilseed rape trials and
conventional varieties are currently 50 metres.

Adrian Bebb, GM Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said
"English Nature's vital research shows that we now face a stark choice.
Either we keep the current separation distances between GM and non-GM
crops, in which case contamination and gene stacking looks certain. Or
we can have an effective separation distance - of at least three miles -
in which case GM crops have no commercial future in the UK. There is no
third way

The Government must choose between continuing its support for the
biotech industry or backing the British public who have clearly said
they don't want GMOs."

Adrian Bebb 07712 843 211 (mob)