Tittle of the Article: Celtic revolt against Westminster over GM crops
Author: Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor
Date of Publication: Sunday, 28 September 2008
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/celtic-revolt-against-westminster-over-gm-crops-944768.html
Garcia Fernandez, Gabriela.
Ministers have launched a new campaign to plant GM crops in Britain. Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments have declared themselves opposed to any modified crops in their territory, setting the scene for a confrontation with Westminster.
For years, London Ministers have voted consistently in the EU to allow the sale of modified food and animal feeds throughout Europe, giving Britain the strongest pro-GM record in the union. However, no GM crops have yet been cultivated commercially in Britain thanks to public hostility and trials which found that growing them harmed wildlife.
According to Ian Pearson, the science minister of Britain, a “significant majority of Britons will want to choose GM” once they learned of its advantages. He strongly believes that “there are benefits to the consumer of adopting GM technologies”. The three other governments of the UK reject Britain Ministers’ new campaign. Wales restated a long-standing policy of taking "the most restrictive approach to GM crop cultivation" and Northern Ireland signalled that it would join with the Irish Republic to keep the technology out of the entire island. But the toughest opposition of all is being mounted by Scotland, where the first minister, Alex Salmond, has himself stressed his rejection of modified crops. The Prime Miniser is supported by Scotland’s environment minister, Michael Russell. He declared that they are simply “not interested in GM cultivation”.
Mr Russell is planning to form a united front with Wales and Northern Ireland. He said that “there is a unanimity of view” among the three governments regarding the GM crop issue. And more important is the fact that he is working on a counter-strike against Westminster. The Prime Minister of Scotland is supporting his view denouncing that it is wrong that UK ministers take this position on half of the country while the other three governments hold an opposite view. In this way Britain’s Ministers are failing to represent both strands of opinion at the European level, what is expected to be the case.
Author: Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor
Date of Publication: Sunday, 28 September 2008
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/celtic-revolt-against-westminster-over-gm-crops-944768.html
Garcia Fernandez, Gabriela.
Ministers have launched a new campaign to plant GM crops in Britain. Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments have declared themselves opposed to any modified crops in their territory, setting the scene for a confrontation with Westminster.
For years, London Ministers have voted consistently in the EU to allow the sale of modified food and animal feeds throughout Europe, giving Britain the strongest pro-GM record in the union. However, no GM crops have yet been cultivated commercially in Britain thanks to public hostility and trials which found that growing them harmed wildlife.
According to Ian Pearson, the science minister of Britain, a “significant majority of Britons will want to choose GM” once they learned of its advantages. He strongly believes that “there are benefits to the consumer of adopting GM technologies”. The three other governments of the UK reject Britain Ministers’ new campaign. Wales restated a long-standing policy of taking "the most restrictive approach to GM crop cultivation" and Northern Ireland signalled that it would join with the Irish Republic to keep the technology out of the entire island. But the toughest opposition of all is being mounted by Scotland, where the first minister, Alex Salmond, has himself stressed his rejection of modified crops. The Prime Miniser is supported by Scotland’s environment minister, Michael Russell. He declared that they are simply “not interested in GM cultivation”.
Mr Russell is planning to form a united front with Wales and Northern Ireland. He said that “there is a unanimity of view” among the three governments regarding the GM crop issue. And more important is the fact that he is working on a counter-strike against Westminster. The Prime Minister of Scotland is supporting his view denouncing that it is wrong that UK ministers take this position on half of the country while the other three governments hold an opposite view. In this way Britain’s Ministers are failing to represent both strands of opinion at the European level, what is expected to be the case.
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