APPENDIX 9
Memorandum submitted by Mr John Sanderson
(G 10)
GMO CONTAMINATED RAPESEED: A FARMER'S EXPERIENCE
At 6 am on Thursday 18 May we heard the Today
programme news that Advanta had supplied rapeseed to farmers
in the UK that had been contaminated with genetically modified
seed. Later that morning I was contacted by my seed merchant,
the Hyola 38 we had sown in March was one of those affected.
I rang the NFU legal helpline. I was the first
to do so, the NFU had yet to formulate their response. I then
set about finding as much information as possible.
I was taking a group around the farm that afternoon,
we do this on a regular basis, one of our diversified farm activities.
Suffolk County Council and the local tourist information centres
book groups for a guided tour. The main interest is the history
of the farm, we also describe our conservation work. On this occasion
it provided a good opportunity to gauge public reaction to the
day's news, there was unanimous disapproval.
I watched BBC Newsnight and all the other
programmes that evening. Whilst politicians and company spokesmen
reassured the public "Farmers could carry on with this crop
as normal", none appeared to appreciate that they may not
want to. It may have only been a 1 per cent contamination, although
the exact level seemed uncertain, the public perception was that
this was a GM crop. I decided to destroy my rape crop.
— My Hyola was growing immediately
adjacent to my winter rape. My neighbour's crop was in an adjacent
field, in fact it surrounded it. There was no buffer zone.
— I know of at least two local organic
farms that it might threaten.
— We are actively considering converting
our beef enterprise to organic production.
— Tourism and public access is part
of our business, our future depends on it. The care of this particular
landscape is our trademark.
— I have serious reservations as to
the environmental safety of GM crops.
— There did not appear to me to be
a market for this crop.
Therefore the potential damage to the future
of our business far out-weighed the loss of this crop.
When contacted through my seed merchant Advanta
just repeated that there was no reason why the crop could not
be grown on to harvest as normal. So we contacted the MAFF/IACS
office to tell them of our intention to destroy the crop, and
I invited the press along. I reasoned there would be more chance
of compensation for us, and the other farmers involved, if I explained
our situation publicly.
We were not quite prepared for the press reaction.
The story made most of the main news bulletins.
Subsequent events have completely justified
our actions, we are still receiving letters and calls of support.
What has amazed me is the wide spectrum of opposition
amongst the general public to GMOs. It is not just environmentalists.
Pensioners, families, and all sorts of people from all walks of
life are opposed to their release.
BSE had a devastating effect on our business.
We breed pedigree beef cattle and have exported both semen and
breeding cattle. In the late eighties we were building up useful
contacts in Australia and the USA. A cow we had bought in was
infected; nothing we had bred or reared here contracted the disease.
But having had a case on the farm we were blighted, we could not
export to America, and other markets became difficult. This experience
has made us extremely wary of anything that might affect our ability
to trade.
Obviously there is no comparison with this issue,
public health is not at all at risk, but the legacy of BSE is
there in the public mind. Science has to some extent lost credibility.
The UK GM free status is a valuable market advantage
at this time with a strong pound. I am convinced that a majority
of consumers want to buy "GM free". My status on this
farm is important to me. The growth of the organic sector in recent
years is an example of the power of consumer.
A spokesman for Advanta said recently that "zero-tolerance
of GM material is no longer realistic, pollen transfer is a natural
phenomenon". All the more reason then to source our seed
supplies carefully until the trials are complete. I will certainly
not be buying imported seed in future.
The challenge for the government must be to
set standards that are acceptable to the consumer.
If at such a time GMOs are considered safe to
grow, there will still be a market for GM free, and farmers wishing
to supply it. Organic units will also need to be protected from
pollen transfer. The agricultural industry is currently spending
a fortune on crop assurance. An incident like this must damage
consumer confidence. I do not believe that this generation of
GM crops has anything to offer the farmer but increased costs
and further erosion of that precious confidence.
13 July 2000
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