DoctorsCall for GE Crop Ban
BBCNews
Wednesday, 20 November, 2002,
Genetically modified (GM) crop trials in Scotland should be halted
immediately as a "precautionary measure" to safeguard public health,senior
medical figures have said.
The British Medical Association (BMA) was making its case for a moratorium
in a submission to the Scottish Parliament's health committee on Wednesday.
Its submission said that "insufficient care" has been taken overpublic
health and concerns are "serious enough" to justify an immediate endto the
trials.
The BMA's stance has been backed by some opposition parties but the Scottish
Executive said there was "no evidence" that the field trials"were
inherently harmful".
The professional medical body represents more than 13,500 doctors in
Scotland and more than 80% of British doctors.
Its submission to MSPs said: "There has not yet been a robust and thorough
search into the potentially harmful effects of GM foodstuffs on human
health.
"On the basis of the precautionary principle, farm scale trials should not
be allowed to continue."
It added: "The concerns doctors have about the impact genetically modified
foodstuffs may have on our long-term health are serious enough to warrant a
precautionary approach."
The "most worrying" issue according to the BMA is the potential dangerposed
by GM crops in creating antibiotic resistance in humans leading to new
diseases.
'Risk to the public'
The submission said: "Although the risk is not yet known, any increase in
the number of resistant micro-organisms through the transfer of markers from
GM foods would potentially have very serious adverse effects on human
health."
It also called for the executive to monitor the health of people living near
GM crop trial sites and conduct more research and provide more public
information.
Scottish National Party environment spokesman Bruce Crawford backed the
BMA's stance and said ministers had to "act now to avoid any further riskto
the public".
He added: "It is clear that GM crops are not being regulated correctly and
there has not been enough research into the negative side effects of public
health."
Green MSP Robin Harper has tabled a motion in the parliament calling for the
GM trials to be halted because of the BMA's concerns.
"The executive must now take the advice of the medical profession, ploughin
the existing trials and not allow any more to be planted," he said.
But a spokesman for the Scottish Executive denied that public health was
being put in danger.
No safety question
"The executive considered the farm scale evaluations a sensible
precautionary step to take before any commercialisation decisions on these
particular GM crops are taken," he said.
"There's no current evidence to suggest that these particular GM crops,that
is the trials in Scotland, are inherently harmful."
The spokesman said they had been scrutinised by various bodies including the
Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (Acre), the Food Standards
Agency and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
He added: "The Scottish Executive would not promote the planting of GMcrops
in the farm scale evaluation programme if there was any question about their
safety."