Defra has granted consent for Rothamsted Research to conduct a trial of GM wheat in 2012 and 2013.
The research will look at wheat that has been genetically modified to resist aphids.
The Rothamsted application has been evaluated by the independent expert group, the Advisory Committee of Releases to the Environment. It is satisfied that the proposal will not result in any adverse effect on human health or the environment.
In line with ACRE’s advice, precautionary conditions have been attached to the consent for the trial. These aim to ensure that no GM material from the trial will enter the food and feed chain. Further information can be found here.
NFU comment
Chief science and regulatory affairs adviser Dr Helen Ferrier said: “Wheat is an extremely important crop in the UK, for export as well as domestic food and feed use, so this is an exciting development in wheat research and good news for farmers.
“Aphids are a serious problem for many UK crops, reducing both yield and quality. There are over 20 different aphid species that attack many key UK crops, which therefore require protection using pesticides.
“Genetic improvement, enabling the plants to be more resistant to aphid infestation, is one important way to reduce unsustainable crops losses and reliance on pesticides. Genetic modification is one highly effective breeding technology that can make crops resistant to pests.
“With climate change, reduced availability of pesticides, the need to reduce waste and serious concerns about global food security, this trial represents a promising step towards the sustainable intensification that is urgently needed in global agriculture. It takes many years for crop genetic improvement research to reach commercialisation and the supermarket shelf.
“There is, therefore, a significant sense of urgency in progressing this type of science even if there is still some public concern about GM in the UK.
“It is important that such research happens not only in the private sector but also in the public sector so that scientific knowledge gained is openly available. The NFU would like to see the UK economy gain from this research, rather than lose its value to our competitors overseas.”
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- Jim Pitts - 08/10/2011
Excellent news. How can you be sure that idiots do not sabotage the site?
- Oliver Dowding - 07/10/2011
Helen, you say "There are over 20 different aphid species that attack many key UK crops, which therefore require protection using pesticides".
How many of these 20 will this trial be aiming to combat? Are they seen every year over the whole country?
Will they, in the secluded/enclosed environment that they going to have to operate to ensure security, be able to truly replicate the conditions found out in the field, in every season, in every part of the country?
- Nina - 23/09/2011
Stating that 'Genetic modification is one highly effective breeding technology that can make crops resistant to pests' is a bold and contentious statement. Presumably data to support this claim will be forthcoming?
It is equally bold to state 'studies have shown pesticidal plants have harmful health and ecological effects'. However these concerns are being raised not by campaign groups, but by members of the scientific community through groups such as PSRAST (Physicians and Scientists for Responsible Application of Science and Technology) and Institute of Science in Society. THese scientists are also concerned at the lack of experiments being conducted to assess biotech crops safety, of the few that have been carried out one by Cornell University found that 56% of Monarch Butterfly larvae died from eating pollen from plants having a pesticide gene (the Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) toxin gene) now widely found throughout the worl in GM maize.