Owen Paterson: Embrace GM or risk becoming ‘museum of world farming’
In our global economy we only produce 60% of our own food. Lots of people are interested in knowing exactly where their food comes from and there has been an explosion in local growing – you cant get an allotment for love nor money these days. Are GM crops and local food incompatible concepts? What do local communities involved in local food initiatives think about the issue? I suspect the whole food agenda needs a more radical debate and re-think than we are ready for if we are going to build any sustainability for ourselves as the world grows more populous and hungry around us. I would be interested in your thoughts – this article tells us:
Owen Paterson, a long-standing fan of biotechnology, warned the Oxford Farming Conference: “The longer Europe continues to close its doors to GM, the greater the risk that the rest of the world will bypass us altogether.
“Europe risks becoming the museum of world farming as innovative companies make decisions to invest and develop new technologies in other markets.”
Paterson cited a study last June that found “compelling evidence” that GM crops could benefit farmers, consumers, the environment and the economy.
A key test of the appetite for GM produce among EU member states will come this month, when there will be a vote on whether to allow cultivation of a variety of maize that has been made insect-resistant through genetic engineering. If licensed, it would be the first GM food crop authorised for planting by the EU in 15 years, but the proposal faces significant opposition.