British GM crops may be held in secret, ministry says

Trials of genetically modified crops in Britain could be held in secret after biotechnology firms pressed the government over vandalism fears, officials said Saturday.

The locations where GM crops are planted must be published under European laws, but Britain's environment ministry said it is considering requests to keep some details private.

"We are considering options that would reduce the risk of crops being vandalized," said an environment ministry spokesman, on condition of anonymity in line with policy.

Britain's The Guardian newspaper reported that the biotechnology industry has called for access to location details to be restricted.

"We have to find a way of reducing the amount of damage you get when you do a field trial in the UK, that's absolutely imperative," Julian Little, of the Agricultural Biotechnology Council, a GM advocacy group, was quoted as telling the newspaper.