GM Dialogue

In response to advice from the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission (AEBC), The Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett announced on 26th July 2002 that the public debate on GM issues would start in the autumn of that year. She said "The Government wants to provide people with the opportunity to debate the issues openly and reach their own judgements." The Government is committed to a genuine, balanced discussion, and also to listening to what people say.

Margaret Beckett has confirmed three interlinked strands of dialogue:

• the public debate
• a review of the scientific issues
• a study into the overall costs and benefits of GM crops

• The public GM debate "GM Nation?", launched on 3 June 2003, overseen by an independent steering board chaired by Professor Malcolm Grant, chair of the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission (AEBC). Further details are available on the "GM Nation?" web site - www.gmnation.org.uk.
  
  The findings of GM Nation have now been published (24 September) - see this news article and News Release. The report itself is available from www.gmnation.org.uk/ut_09/ut_9_6.htm

• The Strategy Unit was asked to carry out a study into the overall costs and benefits of GM crops, including their effect on conventional and organic farming interests. More information on the proposed content of this study can be found on the Strategy Unit website.

  • The Strategy Unit report "Field Work: Weighing up the Costs and Benefits of GM crops" published was published on 11 July 2003 (Strategy Unit web site) - see also this News Story

• The science component has been reviewing the scientific issues concerning genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The science review is led by Professor David King (the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser) working with Professor Howard Dalton (the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), with independent advice from the Food Standards Agency. The Science Review was launched on 29 November 2002 and full information is now available on the dedicated Science Review web site.
  • The panel overseeing the GM Science Review published the results of its independent review of current scientific knowledge on GM crops and foods on 21 July. The report is available on the Science Review's website at www.gmsciencedebate.org.uk. Comments on the report and scientific contributions are invited by 15 October 2003. The Panel will reconvene in the autumn to take account of any relevant issues arising from the GM Public Debate, and the results of the Farm Scale Evaluation (FSE) crop trials if they are available.

If you wish to e-mail comments then you should do so via the three strands outlined above. Comments already sent to this site will be forwarded to the appropriate strand in due course.

Background Information

• GM crops and the public debate on GM issues: Statement by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - 24 March 2003
• Margaret Beckett's letter to Malcolm Grant, Chair of the Steering Board on the public debate on GM, 7 November 2002 (Adobe Acrobat format, 55kb)
• "Environment Minister kick starts public debate on GM" - Michael Meacher discusses the public debate in an article in the Guardian's Society supplement, 15th August 2002
• Margaret Beckett's latest press release on the GM debate: Public to choose issues for GM debate - (News Release, 26 July 2002)
• Government response to the AEBC advice
• Margaret Beckett's press release announcing the GM debate - (News Release, 31st May 2002)
• The AEBC's advice - (26th April 2002)

Some Useful Links

There is existing background information on GM crops on the Defra web site at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/fse/index.htm. Other sites you may find useful include the following:

• Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission
• Agricultural Biotechnology Council
• Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
• CropGen
• Food Standards Agency
• Friends of the Earth
• GeneWatch
• Greenpeace
• Royal Society
• Soil Association

Contacting Defra

If you want further information about the GM debate that is not covered by these pages, you can contact us by e-mail at:

• gm@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Defra is not responsible for the contents or reliability of the linked web sites and does not necessarily endorse the views expressed within them. Listing should not be taken as endorsement of any kind. We cannot guarantee that these links will work all of the time and we have no control over the availability of the linked pages.