Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett today received advice on the results of the GM crop farm-scale evaluations from the Government's statutory advisers - the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE).

The FSEs looked at the impact on farmland wildlife of the management of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) crops. The results for the three spring-sown crops were published last October.

ACRE advised that if GMHT beet and spring-sown oilseed rape were grown in a similar way to those in the farm-scale evaluations then adverse environmental effects would result.

In contrast, ACRE advised that the results of the farm-scale evaluations of GMHT maize did not demonstrate evidence of adverse environmental impacts providing the crops were grown in a similar way to those tested.

Ministers have also received advice on the FSE results from English Nature, on behalf of the statutory conservation bodies. English Nature have advised that, on the basis of the FSE results, GMHT spring oilseed rape and beet should not be commercialised, but that GMHT maize may be commercialised subject to certain conditions.

Ministers in the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations will now consider the advice from ACRE and English Nature before reaching decisions. Specifically, they will be considering whether the UK should press for existing EU marketing consents for GMHT maize to be revoked or amended, and whether the UK should support or oppose the granting of EU marketing consents for GMHT spring oilseed rape and beet.

Mrs Beckett said: "In October we welcomed the publication of the results of the farm-scale evaluations - the largest study of its kind ever undertaken - and today we welcome the advice of ACRE on the implications.

"We will now consider ACRE's advice, as well as the advice from English Nature, very carefully before reaching a view on whether these crops should be approved for cultivation in the EU.

"I have said consistently that the Government is neither pro- nor anti-GM crops - our over-riding concern is to protect human health and the environment, and to ensure genuine consumer choice."

There are currently no GM crops being grown in the UK and none have all the approvals required for commercial cultivation.

BACKGROUND

1. The Government-sponsored evaluations were carried out over a three-year period to test the impact on farmland wildlife of the herbicide use associated with three types of herbicide-tolerant GM crops - maize, beet and spring oilseed rape. For details of the publication of the Farm-scale Evaluation results see the press release issued by the Scientific Steering Committee via Defra Press Office on www.defra.gov.uk news release site 16th October 2003.

2. The full scientific results were published in The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. Full details are available at: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/fse.

3. To aid understanding of the results, the Scientific Steering Committee has published a non-specialist summary of the results ("GM crops: Effects on Farmland Wildlife") and a commentary ("The implications of spring-sown genetically modified herbicide-tolerant crops for farmland biodiversity: A commentary on the Farm Scale Evaluations of spring- sown crops"). These are available at: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/fse

4. The Scientific Steering Committee advised Government ministers on the completion of the studies. A copy of their advice is available at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/fse.

5. Decisions on whether or not to permit the cultivation of GM crops in the European Union are taken collectively by member states after a thorough assessment of the specific GM crop concerned and its potential impact on human health and the environment, in accordance with the procedures in Directive 2001/18 on the deliberate release into the environment of GMOs. Further information is available on the Defra website at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/index.htm

Advice on the implications of the farm-scale evaluations of GM herbicide-tolerant crops
ACRE information note - 13th JANUARY 2004

The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) has been considering the results of the farm scale evaluations (FSEs) of three genetically modified herbicide-tolerant crops since they were published on 16th October 2003.

The Committee considers that the FSEs provide important and robust evidence concerning the impact of the herbicide regimes associated with the three GM crops studied. They also conclude that the FSEs also have implications for agriculture in general, and may feed into wider discussions concerning the environmental impacts of all agricultural practices.

Conclusions on the three crops

Concerning the individual crops, ACRE concludes as follows:

Maize: Based on the evidence provided by the FSE results published in October 2003, if GMHT maize were to be grown and managed as in the FSEs this would not result in adverse effects, as defined and assessed by criteria specified in Directive 2001/18/EC, compared with conventionally managed maize. In line with this conclusion, ACRE advise: that a condition be placed on the existing consent for GM maize to limit the management of the GM crop to that tested in the FSE; that further work be conducted to investigate the implications of the impending withdrawal of Atrazine; and that a post-market monitoring requirement be imposed to monitor the management of conventional maize, with particular reference to Atrazine use, for the remaining duration of the consent (expires 2006). Beet: Based on the evidence provided by the FSE results published in October 2003, if GMHT beet were to be grown and managed as in the FSEs this would result in adverse effects on arable weed populations, as defined and assessed by criteria specified in Directive 2001/18/EC, compared with conventionally managed beet. The effects on arable weeds would be likely to result in adverse effects on organisms at higher trophic levels (e.g. farmland birds), compared with conventionally managed beet. Spring-sown oilseed rape: Based on the evidence provided by the FSE results published in October 2003, if spring-sown GMHT oilseed rape were to be grown and managed as in the FSEs this would result in adverse effects on arable weed populations, as defined and assessed by criteria specified in Directive 2001/18/EC, compared with conventionally managed spring-sown oilseed rape. The effects on arable weeds would be likely to result in adverse effects on organisms at higher trophic levels (e.g. farmland birds), compared with conventionally managed oilseed rape. In each case, the Committee emphasises that these conclusions only apply to the management regime used in the farm scale evaluations. Alternative management strategies may have different impacts. For example, there may be viable mitigation measures that could be used by farmers to offset any adverse effects.

What happens now?

ACRE's advice has now been passed to Ministers. Any decision on whether these particular crops are grown in the UK in future will now rest with them.

ACRE will be setting up a sub-group to keep a watching brief on these three crops, and also to address the wider implications of the findings.

Concluding comments

1. This confirms the case-by-case approach taken by ACRE on all GM crops. Each is assessed individually.

2. These experiments showed the effects of herbicide management regimes. If the tests had been conducted on conventionally bred herbicide-tolerant crops, then the results would be expected to be similar.

3. The FSE results say nothing about the safety of genetic modification in general or about potential direct effects of genetically modified plants - such as resulting from gene flow. These important issues are considered by ACRE but were not in the remit of the FSE and so are not discussed here.

4. The FSE results raise important questions about environmental protection in agricultural ecosystems. The Committee considers these issues to be important and will, as a result of issues raised during deliberation on the FSE results, establish a subgroup to examine the wider implications of the FSEs. The work of this subgroup will begin during 2004.

BACKGROUND

A copy of ACRE's full advice is available from www.defra.gov.uk/environment/acre/fse.

The results of the FSEs for spring sown crops were published on 16 October 2003. The results were published as a series of eight peer- reviewed scientific papers in The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (Biological Sciences), Volume 358, pages 1777-1913. In addition the FSE research team published a technical commentary and a non- specialist summary of the results. Copies of the summaries and details of how to obtain the full papers are given on the FSE web-site at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/fse

The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) is the statutory advisory committee appointed under section 124 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (the EPA) to provide advice to Government regarding the release and marketing of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) ACRE advises the UK Government and Devolved Administrations of Scotland, Wales and (when in operation) Northern Ireland.

The Committee works within the legislative framework set out by Part VI of the EPA and the GMO Deliberate Release Regulations 2002 which together implement Directive 2001/18/EC. For further details see www.defra.gov.uk/environment/acre and www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/regulation/index.htm.

Prior to the release of the FSE results ACRE announced that it would give any interested parties the opportunity to consider the FSE results and their implications and to submit evidence as part of the deliberation process.

Evidence was accepted for a period of a month following publication of the results. Sixty eight submissions were received and are available to read at www.livegroup.co.uk/acrefarmscaleevaluations

ACRE held two public open meetings, on 25 November 2003 in London and 4 December 2003 in Edinburgh. Prior to the meetings ACRE members selected from 60 written submissions a number of contributions to be heard in person. A contribution was also received from the GM Science Panel chaired by Sir David King. The selection of 14 submissions was made to provide a range of opinions concerning the implications of the FSE results, with a focus on submissions that the Committee felt addressed issues that were important for their deliberations. In addition the FSE researchers were invited to make a presentation at each of the open meetings. Each invited contributor was given the opportunity to present their argument and then ACRE members asked questions of the contributor. Each meeting was concluded with a period for questions from the floor. Details of the invited contributions and full transcripts of the meetings are available at http://www.livegroup.co.uk/acrefarmscaleevaluations.

The conclusions concerning spring-sown GMHT oilseed rape do not necessarily apply to autumn-sown GMHT oilseed rape. The potential impacts on the management regime associated with autumn-sown GMHT oilseed rape will be examined when the FSE results concerning this crop are published in 2004.