GM Crop Farm Scale Evaluations:
News
Publication of FSE results - outline plans
The fields trials of the three spring-sown crops - maize, beet and spring oil seed rape - are now complete. The process of analysing the data collected is well underway. The scientific steering committee overseeing the FSEs has advised that the results for the three spring should be published in full as a series of scientific papers.
Once drafted, the papers will be submitted for publication in an independent peer-reviewed journal - probably the Philosophical Transactions (Biological Sciences) of the Royal Society. This reputable scientific journal is one of the oldest in the world.
Once the draft papers are submitted to the journal, neither the research consortium, the scientific steering committee or any government officials will have any say in whether the papers are accepted for publication or when they are published.
If all goes well and the papers meet the journal's standards then the FSE results for the three spring sown crops will be made available in Summer 2003. Results for winter oil seed rape, which is a year behind the spring crops, will follow in 2004.
Once the results are publicly available (and not before) they will be presented to ACRE for advice on their implications. There will be no snap decisions instead there will be time for everyone to consider the findings carefully before any decisions are made on the future of the FSE crops both in the UK and in the European Community.
Page last modified
26 February, 2003
Page published 26 February 2003