"YOU'RE SOAKING IN IT":

Farmers snub GM-free policy: Scottish Executive request to keep Scotland a GM-free zone likely to be ignored by ‘nine out of 10 farmers’ (Rob Edwards, 3/14/04, Sunday Herald)

An investigation by the Sunday Herald has discovered that farmers want to try out GM maize. This is the crop that was given a conditional go-ahead by the UK government last week, but which Scottish ministers want to prevent being grown north of the Border.

According to the First Minister, Jack McConnell, Scotland now has “as restrictive a regime as possible” on GM crops. As revealed in last week’s Sunday Herald, the Executive plans to ask Scotland’s maize farmers to form GM-free zones.

The policy, however, has been attacked by the Greens and the Scottish National Party (SNP) as an unworkable “cave-in” to Westminster. Both promise to step up their attacks in a parliamentary debate on GM being staged by the SNP on Thursday.

The Executive says there are 30 farmers growing 315 hectares of maize in southwest Scotland and parts of the central belt. The Sunday Herald has spoken to 14 of them, 11 of whom said they would consider growing GM maize.

“I would want to try it,” said Archie Hamilton, who farms near Blair Drummond. “I would be quite willing to give it a go even though public opinion is against it.”

Break out your sabots...

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 13, 2004 7:20 PM