MPs challenge GM crops move (5/5/2004)

"We are living in a slight fantasy world here because the industry itself has effectively walked away from the commercial growing of GM crops. So we have a ridiculous situation where the Government appears to be more pro-commercial GM growing than the GM industry itself." - Chairman of the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee in the British parliament.
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MPs challenge crops move
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_944266.html

The decision to allow genetically modified crops to be grown in Britain is being challenged by senior MPs later.

Ministers sanctioned commercial production of the controversial crops against the advice of the Commons Environmental Audit Committee.

Their formal response to the committee is being published, along with a detailed rebuttal by MPs of the Government's reasons for giving GM crops the green light.

Tory chairman Peter Ainsworth said his committee's move meant MPs would be properly informed during a Commons debate this afternoon.

The group's initial report on GM crops "deserves to be properly considered by the Government but hasn't been", he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

"They say they considered it but actually there were four days between our report and the announcement for the go-ahead for GM maize.

"We are living in a slight fantasy world here because the industry itself has effectively walked away from the commercial growing of GM crops.

"So we have a ridiculous situation where the Government appears to be more pro-commercial GM growing than the GM industry itself."

The Government "really isn't being rational about this", Mr Ainsworth added.

"They approached this in a perfectly rational way and then made a completely irrational and hasty decision," he said.


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