Scottish Parliament's Health Committee say assessment of GM crops is
flawed

Committee News Release
CHEAL 01/2003 Tuesday 14 January 2003

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT'S HEALTH COMMITTEE SAY RISK ASSESSMENT OF GM CROPS
IS FLAWED

The Scottish Parliament’s Health and Community Care Committee has
expressed concerns about the robustness of Genetically Modified (GM)
crop risk assessment procedures in relation to public health,
referring to them as "flawed".

In a major report, the Committee has also expressed concern about the
monitoring procedures currently in place and has called on the
Executive to examine the effects on human health in relation to the
local population around GM sites.

Convener of the Committee, Margaret Smith, said:

"The focus of our Committee report is whether or not the decision to
test GM crops in Scotland will have a negative impact on public
health. Whilst we acknowledge that we are not qualified to deliberate
definitively on the complex scientific questions that are raised, we
have heard enough evidence to come to the view that the Executive’s
approach has no been sufficiently robust.

"We would like to see the Executive take a more cautious approach when
deciding whether to approve GM crop tests in Scotland. From the
evidence we have taken, we believe the risk assessment procedures in
relation to public health are flawed.

"We want to see additional tests brought in, based on the worst case
scenario that GM crops will enter into the food chain. Protecting
public health must remain at the forefront of the Executive’s policies
and more must be done to monitor the health of those living around the
test sites."

Three page Executive Summary available on request from the Media
Office.


BACKGROUND NOTES


GM crop trials have been authorised by the Scottish Executive to take
place at:


Munlochy, Ross and Cromarty; Daviot, Udny, Tilliecorthy and
Rothienorman (Aberdeenshire)


Newport-on-Tay (Fife)


Invergowrie (Perth and Kinross)


Bilston and Woodhouselea (Midlothian).


All the trials authorised thus far in Scotland are of oil seed rape
(OSR), which can be harvested and made into cooking oil. The GM oil
seed rape currently being grown in Scotland is not intended to enter
the human food chain. The purpose of the trials is to compare the
effectiveness of a particular type of herbicide on GM and non-GM OSR.


The Committee took its decision to proceed with an inquiry after
considering paper from Nicola Sturgeon MSP at its 11 September 2002
meeting. (The paper represents the views of Nicola Sturgeon and not
necessarily of the whole Committee.)


The Committee took evidence in public, on 13 November 2002, 20
November 2002 and 27 November 2002. The Committee heard evidence from
the following witnesses—


Anthony Jackson and Linda Martin, Munlochy GM Vigil


Dr Charles Saunders, British Medical Association


Professor Alan Gray, Professor Janet Bainbridge, and Dr Steven Hill,
Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE)


Professor Tony Trewavas, and Professor Chris Lamb, Royal Society of
Edinburgh


Ross Finnie MSP, Minister for Environment and Rural Development, and
Derek Bearhop, Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs
Department


Dr Vyvyan Howard, Liverpool University


Dr Paul Rylott, Bayer CropScience


Dr Geoffrey Squire, and Dr David Robinson, Scottish Crop Research
Institute (SCRI)


Mrs Mary Mulligan MSP, Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care,
Dr Mac Armstrong, Chief Medical Officer, and Martin Donaghy, Scottish
Executive Public Health Department


Lydia Wilkie, and Elspeth McDonald, Food Standards Agency


The Committee also issued a call for evidence on 4 October 2002
inviting anyone with an interest to submit written evidence. Fifty
organisations and individuals responded. In addition, 26 individuals
and bodies submitted evidence in response to an earlier call for
evidence on behalf of the Committee reporter.

The Transport and the Environment Committee reported to Parliament on
the environmental implications of GM crop trials in Scotland in its
1st report 2001.

1st Report 2003: Report on Inquiry into GM crops
Executive Summary



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