| Defiant Dr Little predicts acres of GM crops within decade, say Bayer (2/4/2004) | |
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Before this week's news, Julian Little of Bayer was telling any journalist who'd listen that Bayer was hoping to have 10,000 hectares of GM maize growing in Britain - oh, and would the journalist like some GM-maize beer to go with it? Now it's a new crop in the same old dodgy bottles. As well as supplying dodgy bottles, Little is busy filling the shoes of Dr Paul Rylott who was recently shown the door as Bayer lopped the heads off its ailing GM sector right across Europe. For what Dr Rylott used to tell us: http://www.lobbywatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=115&page=R Acres of GM crops within decade, say Bayer A DEFIANT Dr Julian Little is predicting that acres of GM oil seed rape will be growing in Cambridge- shire fields before the end of the decade. Dr Little, a GM expert and public and government affairs manager for Bayer CropScience, sounds undeterred by this week's announcement that his company is abandoning its GM maize plans for this country. Meanwhile, GM opponents such as the Green Party and Friends of the Earth are crowing over the company's decision. Margaret Wright, lead Green candidate for the eastern region, said: "This announcement raises questions about the whole future of GM crops in this country. The company has made its move due to commercial considerations - we have said all along that profits are the bottom line in GM crop science, not feeding the world." Dr Little said it was simply a case of the GM maize seed running past its shelf life, with new developments in seed technology superseding this particular variety. Bayer has a major plant at Hauxton where it employs 200 people, but only six are engaged in GM work, and they are all staying. "They still have a huge amount of work to do," Dr Little said. "Bayer remains absolutely committed to GM and we are looking forward to the day when it is grown in the UK. "We were disappointed to have to make the maize announcement because we had worked hard to keep the shelf life going as long as possible. However, we do expect GM oil seed rape to be harvested in the fields of Cambridgeshire before the end of the decade. "We do not believe that Cambridgeshire farmers should be denied the choice to grow GM. Globally, GM has been a huge success, with an area twice the size of the UK grown every year." [the UK is tiny - the whole of the British Isles, which is considerably bigger than just Britain, could be fitted into Victoria: Australia's second-smallest State!] |
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