MEP hits out over GM crop 'dogma'

Struan Stevenson said that far from being "Frankenstein Foods", as propagated by the European green lobby, GM crops represented a golden opportunity to boost food production.

Speaking ahead of a seminar on GM crops in Brussels today, the Scottish MEP pointed out that European Union health and consumer commissioner John Dalli is proposing to table plans to allow member states a choice on whether or not to grow GM crops. "This may produce a paradox for the UK where Defra may be inclined to agree to GM crops in England, while the SNP government remains strongly opposed," said Stevenson.

"It can only be hoped that member states will use science instead of prejudice when it comes to biotech crops."

Stevenson pointed out that every year 6.5 million children worldwide die of hunger and malnutrition. Coupled with this, the world's population is growing rapidly while less and less land is available for agricultural use, but global food production needs to increase by 50 per cent by 2030 to meet demand.

"More than 125 million hectares of GM crops are commercially grown worldwide. Even after 15 years of large commercial use, no negative effects of GMs have been substantiated.

Farmers need every tool in the toolkit to enable them to feed the hungry and our expanding world population."

A Scottish Government spokesman said it was "fundamentally opposed to the cultivation of GM crops in Scotland and welcomes the European Commission's initiative to allow countries the right to decide". He added that it "is keen to explore alternative options to GM and currently invests over 13 million a year in crop research".