Shoppers led up garden path over GM flowers

THEIR unusual colour makes them a striking addition to any hanging basket or flowerbed.

But while they may look like an innocent way to make your garden stand out, these petunias on sale in the UK are in fact illegal.

The plants’ bright orange hue has been genetically modified – and they are not approved for cultivation anywhere in Europe.

But the flowers, thought to have originated in Germany and the Netherlands, have been sold to British gardeners, raising questions about the policing regime for GM plants. Concern was flagged by authorities in Finland, who spotted orange petunias sold in garden centres and online. In nature, the plants cannot have orange petals.

A probe by Finnish watchdog Evira found a variety of seeds – African Sunset – and eight types already planted, were GM.

Some of these ‘Frankenflowers’ have been sold in the UK and Europe, possibly for several years.

It appears they contain genes from a GM variety of maize or corn. It is not known whether they were implanted to create orange flowers, or if it was a mistake.

Evira said: ‘A specific authorisation procedure is required before genetically modified plants are allowed to be cultivated and marketed in the EU … [the petunias] have not been authorised to be imported, cultivated or marketed in any member states.’ The varie- Engineered: Orange petunias ties include Pegasus Orange, Potunia Plus Papaya, Go! Tunia Orange, Bonnie Orange, Sanguna Patio Salmon and Sanguna Salmon.

There is no risk to consumers or the environment. But Liz O’Neill of GM Freeze said: ‘Regardless of whether or not these particular GM plants pose an immediate threat … they have spread across the UK market unlabelled and unnoticed. That shows a horrifying disregard for regulation … Altering the genome can cause all sorts of unexpected effects.’

The Horticultural Trades Association confirmed the GM plants and seeds have been found in the UK and that ‘every effort’ is being made to trace them.

Yesterday, an eBay seller in Northampton was offering orange petunias at three pots for £5.45. Website jparkers.co.uk was also selling the plants. None of the sellers can have known the flowers were GM.

Syngenta, responsible for some of the suspect plants, advised customers to destroy them. It suggested any genetic modification was accidental, and said preliminary tests show its varieties were produced by ‘conventional breeding’.

The environment department Defra said it was investigating.

‘Spread across UK unnoticed’