GM in the UK
The European Union has the world’s most restrictive regulations on GM crops and has only ever licensed two crops. Today, a single variety of insect-resistant maize, MON810, is grown commercially in Spain, Portugal, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. However, millions of tonnes of GM soybean and maize grown elsewhere in the world are imported into Europe every year, mainly to feed livestock. “It is puzzling that so much GM soya gets imported into the UK but as soon as there is a field trial of GM crops there’s a big hoo-ha,” says Professor Nigel Halford, crop scientist at Rothamsted Agricultural Research Establishment.
Advocates say GM crops, such as blight-resistant potatoes and herbicide-tolerant crops, would benefit UK farmers; and that potentially more efficient yields would relieve the pressure to plant on more of our countryside. Critics say this misses the point. “Do we really want to trash our soil?,” asks Clare Oxborrow, senior food and farm researcher for Friends of the Earth. “GM stops us debating how we can develop agriculture in a better way and promote flourishing soils, pollinators and cleaner water.”