Anne clashes with Charles as she says: We need GM crops

PRINCESS Anne has put herself on course for a row with her brother Prince Charles by singing the praises of genetically modified crops.

The Princess Royal, a working farmer, has said she suspects GM crops ‘ have got very many benefits’ and ‘not very many’ downsides.

Her views are at extreme odds with those of the Prince of Wales, who said in 2008 the ‘mass development of genetically modified crops risks causing the world’s worst environmental disaster’.

Relying for food on ‘gigantic corporations’ involved in GM agriculture would lead to ‘absolute disaster’, he argued.

GM crops are not grown commercially in the UK, although experimental trials have taken place at research stations.

In comments to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4’ s Farming Today, Princess Anne will say: ‘If we’re going to be better at producing food of the right value, we have to accept that genetic Supporter: Princess Anne technology, whether you call it modification or anything else, is going to be part of that.

‘How you define what is harmful or what is good seems to be rather more difficult. Most of us would argue that we have been genetically modifying food since man started to be agrarian, but everybody would say “well, it doesn’t happen so quickly”.’

She adds: ‘So being able to understand what those changes mean, or if you change one aspect of a plant, how does it affect the rest of the environ- ment around it and does it have a long-term impact – that’s probably a very long- term impact and we may not see it for quite a long time.

‘To say “no, no, we mustn’t go there just in case” is probably not a practical argument, and I do think that in the future your gene technology has got real benefits to offer, which will have maybe an occasional downside, but I suspect not very many.’

Princess Anne organically farms 500 acres at Gatcombe Park in the Cotswolds with her husband Vice Admiral Tim Laurence. Her livestock includes rare breeds such as naturally foraging Old Spot pigs, White Park and Highland cows, Scots Dumpy chickens and a flock of 400 sheep and lambs.

Asked whether she would consider allowing GM technology on her farm, she says ‘Yes’ and that ‘arguably we are already doing that’.

She adds: ‘I have rare breeds livestock, so genetic modification would be a bonus if I could just find a way of making them a little more robust in terms of survivability. In a way, that’s long-term investment.

‘But for many other breeds the focus on successful blood lines and bull lines has become narrower and narrower. So you are already introducing quite an interesting aspect of genetic modification, because you are following a line that you believe is producing the right product.’

Princess Anne has spoken out about GM foods in the past, but says she seldom discusses the issue with Prince Charles.

The full interview with the Princess Royal will be broadcast tomorrow at 5.45am.

She has long expressed controversial views on countryside matters, for example saying ‘gassing’ badgers to control TB is a ‘much nicer way’ to control them than shooting. And during the horsemeat scandal in 2013, the former eventing champion suggested the nation should consider eating horses.

Liz O’Neill, of the pressure group GM Freeze, said: ‘It is naive and misleading to equate genetic modification with conventional breeding.’