REJECTING GM CROPS IS `PROFITABLE' November 19, 2002 Liverpool Daily Post A coalition of farmers and environmentalists will, according to this story, today launch a campaign aimed at keeping Wales GM-free. The group will unveil a plan detailing actions it believes the Assembly should take over the next six months. It wants Wales to remain a GM-free zone to highlight the purity and green image of the food produced in the Welsh countryside. The Farmers' Union of Wales has joined forces with Friends of the Earth Cymru, GM Free Cymru and the National Federation of Women's Institutes in Wales. The group's plan calls on the Assembly to: * Pass tough legislation controlling GM crop releases. * Apply for exemption from future EU GM crop approvals. * Refuse to support commercialisation of the GM maize Chardon LL. Sin Aron, FUW policy officer, was quoted as saying, "The advantages to Wales of remaining GM free are apparent. The public, on the whole, is sceptical of GM technology, and would rather eat GM free food. Wales can gain a marketing advantage from remaining GM free which we could never achieve through the use of GM products. The National Assembly plays a key role in controlling the release of GM crops in Wales and has already led the way in Europe with its cross-party agreed sceptical line of GMOs. We believe the Assembly should make the most of its pivotal position within the UK and the EU to resist the growth of GM crops until their safety is assured."