GM go-ahead

ON HEARING the news about the European Commission's acceptance of Amflora, NFU Scotland policy director, Scott Walker described them as "positive developments in an area where discussions have, in the past, been dominated by emotion rather than science. This makes the whole GMO debate painfully slow."

He hoped the move marked a more rational approach to a controversial subject. "The approval of a GM starch potato variety f will have little or no impact in Scotland but may mark a break in the log jam around future approvals.

"Europe's commitment to have proposals by the summer examining whether member states should have a greater say in planting approvals for GMOs is a further step forward."