Margaret Beckett at DEFRA poised to decide on the future of "junkie" plants Will she decide in favour of the multinational, or in favour of consumers, farmers and local people? Does development of a "junkie" plant match DEFRA aims and objectives? News Release from gmfoodnews.com - 5 September 2001 Margaret Beckett, Minister of State at DEFRA, will in the next few days decide whether to give permission for Syngenta, a multinational agrochemical company, to grow seeds from a plant which is dependent on a chemical for its normal growth: a "junkie" plant. On 19 July 2001, Syngenta announced in the pages of the Bracknell News that it had applied (application 01/R34/02) to conduct a trial, at Syngenta's Jealotts Hill centre, to: "...evaluate the efficiency of an inducible promoter driving a reporter gene..." Put simply, Syngenta wants ultimately to create a plant which is unable to grow normally without the application of an external chemical. During this phase of the trial, which involves only a "reporter" gene, ethanol is being used as the external chemical to induce the "promoter" gene. Thus, in this case the company has created an alcohol-dependent plant. The purpose of this experiment is to move one step closer towards the development of Gene Use Restriction Technology (GURT), which would involve farmers purchasing both the chemical-dependent seed and the chemical from the same company, Syngenta. When DEFRA was established in June this year, Margaret Beckett outlined some of the aims and objectives of the new department, which are still in draft form. Let's see how the development of a chemically-dependent plant matches against these objectives: DEFRA Objective 1 To protect and improve the environment and conserve and enhance biodiversity, and to integrate these with other policies across Government and internationally. Application 01/R34/02 does not improve the environment, nor does it conserve and enhance biodiversity. In fact it is detrimental to the environment, through GM contamination and chemical pollution, and has the potential to reduce biodiversity by causing contamination of conventional and organic crops. DEFRA Objective 2 To enhance opportunity and tackle social exclusion in the countryside by leading the development of a dynamic, inclusive and sustainable economy in rural areas. Application 01/R34/02 works against producing a sustainable economy in rural areas. GM crop contamination does not help create or maintain a sustainable economy. DEFRA Objective 3 To promote a sustainable and competitive food supply chain which meets consumers’ requirements. Consumers clearly have no requirement plants of the type described in application 01/R34/02. The organism described in 01/R34/02 is certainly not sustainable. DEFRA Objective 4 To improve enjoyment of the countryside for all and to maintain strong rural communities by ensuring fair access to opportunity and services. The organism described in 01/R34/02 would reduce enjoyment of the countryside by creating GM pollution of the countryside. By polluting non-GM and organic plants, this plant denies other farmers fair access to pure, uncontaminated seed. DEFRA Objective 5 To promote sustainable, modern and adaptable farming through domestic and international actions and further CAP reform. The organism described in 01/R34/02 is certainly not sustainable, nor adaptable. A plant dependent on an external chemical would not be able to adapt to conditions where that chemical was no longer available. DEFRA Objective 6 To promote more sustainable management and use of natural resources (e.g. energy, water, fisheries, forests etc), in the UK and internationally. The organism described in 01/R34/02 is certainly not sustainable. The organism itself, and the chemical used with it, would contaminate natural resources such as the earth and water around the site. DEFRA Objective 7 To protect public health in relation to food and animal diseases which can be transmitted to humans and to ensure high standards of animal health and welfare. The safety of the organism described in 01/R34/02 is unknown and unproven. Its affect on humans, animals and the environment have never been scientifically tested. Conclusion The clear conclusion from DEFRA's perspective has to be that this application 01/R34/02 must be turned down, as it is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Department. The Advisory Committee on Releases into the Environment (ACRE) has already decided to recommend that the trial goes ahead. However, it has not held a minuted meeting on the subject and has not published the reasoning behind its decision. Again, DEFRA promised "openness", but the public does not have access to the material on which ACRE based its decision. So, will Margaret Beckett decide in favour of the multinational, Syngenta, or will she abide by the wishes of consumers, farmers and local people, as well as the objectives of her own department, in turning down this application? Let us hope that she takes the correct decision and prevents this example of clearly non-sustainable agriculture from going ahead. Notes for Editors 1. "Terminator", "Traitor" or "Gene Use Restriction Technology" (GURT) are names given to a range of technologies which create sterile seeds, or prevent a plant from growing successfully without the application of an external influence, such as a chemical. 2. The Syngenta public notice appears on page 48 of the 19 July 2001 edition of the "Bracknell News" newspaper. The DEFRA release reference number is 01/R34/02. 3. Further information about "Terminator", "Traitor" and "GURT" can be found in the following documents: "Terminator Two Years Later", 12 May 2000 Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) http://www.rafi.org/web/docus/pdfs/00may12attach.pdf (This contains the quotation from Zeneca indicated above) "Switching off Farmers' Rights?", Genewatch http://www.genewatch.org/Publications/Reports/Syngenta.pdf 4. Details of the draft Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) aims and objectives can be found here: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/defra-aim/index.htm 5. Local people are objecting strongly to the proposed seed planting. The Bracknell-based group, GreenWatch, will be holding a vigil at Synenta's Jealotts Hill Research Station, near Bracknell, from 16:30 to 19:00 on Monday 10 September. Contacts Marcus Williamson, Editor "Genetically Modifed Food - UK and World News" Website : http://www.gmfoodnews.com/ E-mail : marcus@myrealbox.com Tel : 07768 782136 Lesley Tooze GreenWatch, Bracknell Website : http://www.greenlink-berkshire.org.uk/What's_New.htm E-mail : lesley.tooze@ntlworld.com Tel : 01344 648343 Doreen Wyatt GreenWatch, Bracknell Website : http://www.greenlink-berkshire.org.uk/What's_New.htm E-mail : doreen@dwyatt.fsbusiness.co.uk Tel : 01344 452893 Margaret Beckett DEFRA E-mail : margaret.beckett@defra.gsi.gov.uk DEFRA Press Office : 020 7238 5334 DEFRA Press Office (Out of Hours) : 020 7270 8960