Guest guest Posted July 31, 2003 Report Share Posted July 31, 2003 *************************************************************** Organic vs GM crops is 'stark choice' Former environment minister Michael Meacher says evidence of "massive" cross-contamination shows the UK must make a stark choice between growing organic or genetically-modified crops. Speaking on a tour of Canada, where organic farmers are suing biotech giants for spoiling their produce by preventing them calling it GM-free, he said the two types of cultivation could not exist side by side. "The problem is massive. I have spent the whole day seeing several farms and several examples where there has been very extensive contamination, particularly of oil seed rape," he has told the BBC. "The fact is that it goes everywhere. There is no question that there can be a short separation distance - that is clearly not the case. "The buzz word in Britain is that we can have 'co-existence' between the GM sector and the organic or conventional sector. "What Canada shows, who have been trying to do this for the last seven years, is that it is absolutely impossible. "You have to make a choice, and the choice frankly is: are we going to go for GM, for which there is no market and no-one wants to buy at the expense of organic, which people do want to buy and for which there is a tremendous market? "You cannot have both." He said the oil seed rape blew in the wind over "considerable distances". Ananova Ltd Wednesday 30th July 2003 *************************************************************** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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