Rally against GM potato trials

A Rally against GM potato trials is to be held at The Forum, Norwich, 12 noon, Saturday 23rd July 2011. "British trials of genetically modified blight resistant spuds have been failing for the last ten years. But a conventionally bred variety of blight resistant potatoes has been available for 3 years. So why are we still paying for their dangerous experiment?"

Italy's regions want an official GM ban

Italy's regional farming heads agreed unanimously to urge the agriculture minister to ban cultivation of genetically modified (GM) maize and potatoes, their coordinator on GM policy told Reuters.
Read report at reuters.com

EU has authorised the cultivation of a GM potato

Read article on the website of the Slow Food organization

DEFRA is sneakily allowing further GM potatoes trial

DEFRA (Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs) is sneakily allowing further GM potatoes trialling as the Telegraph reports here.

There is, of course, strong resistance within the British public to the idea of GM crops being tested/grown and GM food being imported/sold in the UK and environmentalists, when they are aware of GM crops being test-grown have tended to interfere with the trial plants, partly because of the risk of the GM plants contaminating the genes of native crops.

The report contains this sinister information: "Under current EU rules, scientists have to publish the map reference for every GM field trial. However ministers are understood to be reviewing the rules so more trials can go ahead without threat of disruption."

Makes me wonder whether/which ministers are in the pocket of the biotechnology industry...