Benn backs GM food safety
Source of Article: http://www.farmersguardian.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=22530 News | 10 November, 2008
By Jack
Davies ENVIRONMENT Secretary Hilary Benn has admitted that
scientific evidence 'clearly' demonstrates the safety of genetically modified
(GM) foods. Asked in Parliament what the Government was doing on GM, Mr Benn said there were still hurdles to overcome,
chiefly the effect of GM on biodiversity, but trials had so far demonstrated
their safety. He told MPs more work needed to be done by the firms producing GM foods
and eventually, it would be farmers, consumers and supermarkets who will
decide on whether to use the technology. He said: “The Government have to be able to
answer two questions in relation to GM crops: first, is the product safe to
eat? The evidence is clearly that it is. The second is,
what is the impact on biodiversity? “We have to have carefully conducted trials, and it is a matter for regret
when trials that are approved are trashed within about a month and a bit — a
recent example was a trial to demonstrate potatoes’ resistance to nematode —
because how can we answer such questions if we do not have the information?” |
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