FUW leader expresses GMO fears

Welsh food producers would quickly lose their competitive edge if genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were used widely in the farming industry, Farmers’ Union of Wales president Gareth Vaughan said today.

Speaking after attending a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs (ACAF), Mr Vaughan said: "Our industry has spent a huge amount of money marketing food such as Welsh Lamb, Welsh Beef and Welsh eggs and the produce of farmers is becoming very highly respected.

"But going down the GMO route will quickly lead to us losing that competitive edge which we have so painstakingly built up."

The ACAF was set up in June 1999 to advise on the safety and use of animal feeds and feeding practices, with particular emphasis on protecting human health and with reference to new technical developments and new feed materials.

It was established following concern about the integrity of animal feeds, particularly over the implications of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and the use of genetically modified feed ingredients.

"The genetic modification of organisms is an emotive subject around which there remain major concerns in terms of the impact the premature release of such technology into the environment will have and the significant power the technology affords major agrichemical companies over farmers.

"In the light of these and other concerns the FUW was one of the first organisations to call on the National Assembly for Wales to establish a GM-free Wales and our view since 2000 has been that GMOs should only be tested in a controlled and regulated environment.

"Following a resurgence in the debate amongst the farming community on GMOs, fuelled significantly by the global food shortages of the past two years, the FUW’s milk and dairy produce committee last year instigated an internal consultation on the union’s GMO policy position and, in order to inform these discussions, a well attended debate on the issue was held at which both pro and anti-GMO scientists presented evidence to members.

"The subsequent responses received from our 12 county branches made it clear that the overwhelming majority of members maintain that GMOs would not bring any significant benefits to Welsh agriculture and that their premature release into the environment could be accompanied by significant risks.

"However, one of the most significant concerns continues to be the control over GMO technologies currently held by the major agrichemical companies and the ways in which GMOs resistant to particular branded pesticides, or packaged with other tailor-made chemicals, might be used to develop monopolies and exert control over Welsh farms and farming practices."

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NOTE TO EDITORS: A picture of Gareth Vaughan is attached.