GM-free Scotland

News | October '07 | The non-gm ball

On 17th July, 2007, Scotland's policy on GM in agriculture was quietly slipped onto the Scottish Government website. It reads:

"Genetic Modification

"The Executive's intention is to maintain a moratorium on the planting of GM crops in Scotland. GM crops are not grown in Scotland and we believe this respects the wishes of Scottish consumers who want local, high-quality produce. Scotland has a wonderful and varied environment, rich in biodiversity and we do not wish to jeopardise this."

Simple, clear, Scottish no-nonsense reaffirmation of our moratorium on GM crops stated without fanfare. In fact, probably you didn't notice the statement's appearance. But there were signs the biotech industry did.

Four days later, the Scotsman's front page read:

"GM FOODS the return?

with the usual grim reaper photograph and the usual reference to 'Frankenstein foods' which the press seem to have been clinging to for years. The article seemed to hinge on a warning from 'scientists' and 'experts', who turned out, unsurprisingly, to be the chairman of the Bioindustry Association. Readers' on-line comments included 'This article has Monsanto PR written all over it', and 'So how much did Monsanto pay The Scotsman to write this “article”?'

So far our new Government in Scotland is showing a lot of common sense. On the controversy of the weapons of mass destruction parked in Scotland, more politely called 'deployment of a nuclear deterrent', our First Minister has stated: “I think we will get the best ideas and proposals from an alliance of people across Scottish society who oppose the Trident replacement programme.” Clearly there is, at last, an awareness in the right place that it is the people who oppose who do their homework most thoroughly, and that when people across the breadth of the population have concerns these are likely to have substance. Like Trident, GM crops “have no place in our (Government's) vision for a peaceful, forward-looking, modern country.”

OUR COMMENT

This is all good news, both the evident vision of the Scottish Government, and, a Scottish public which recognises news-engineering when they see it, even in a major national newspaper. But don't relax too much.

Take a lesson from Tesco's attempt to claim that only a very noisy “minority” of people oppose its new stores while the “silent majority” were dumbly in favour. This tactic will, no doubt, be tried to trivialise the level of rejection of GM food too.

There's also still a lot of leeway for Westminster to apply leverage in Scotland's policies on GM. For example, a Concordat setting out an agreed framework for co-operation on deliberate GMO releases into the environment (Directive 2001/18/EC and Regulation EC No. 1946/2003) has been drawn up between the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Executive. Such regulations are a devolved responsibility which falls on the Scottish Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development. However, the Concordat has jointly established the Northern Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland GM Unit (NIEWS). This is a supporting body consisting of scientists and administrators which provides advice on such things as processing GMO release applications, communication and co-ordination. NIEWS is funded by DEFRA.

Be aware that your Government is under constant, corrupting pressures. It is certain that industry will continue to try to engineer 'news' of the inevitability of GM food in our lives. It is certain that commercial double-speak will continue to call black white, and dismiss the noisy-knowledgeable as insignificant. It is certain that Westminster will continue to try to control the devolved administrations.

There are many GM-free areas in Europe: check these out on http://genet.iskra.net/

Contact your MSP to keep his eye on the non-GM ball.

And most important of all,

ask the Scottish Government to declare Scotland a GM-free area.

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