East of England MEP, Stuart Agnew has thrown his weight behind the scientists at Rothamsted Research, who are carrying out an experimental GM wheat crop trial in Harpenden, Hertfordshire.
The crop has been designed to repel aphids by the production of a natural pheromone.
If successful, it would radically reduce the need for pesticides. However, the experiment is being threatened by environmental activists who have vowed to ’decontaminate’ the site in a co-ordinated protest on Sunday. An unsuccessful attempt was made to vandalise the experiment last weekend.
Mr Agnew said "Wheat is vulnerable to aphid attack immediately it emerges from the ground in the autumn. If aphids are not controlled at that time, the crop becomes very susceptible to Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus which is very widespread at the moment and causes the leaves of the wheat to go a bright orange colour in the following June, with the affected plants producing no grain at all.
The only practical defence currently available is to spray once or twice with an insecticide or apply an insecticide to the seed. Unfortunately, these methods also kill non-target insects at the same time. Beyond this, is the risk of the aphids becoming resistant to the insecticide, which is a most worrying trend across the world.
"Therefore, it is vital that this crop is allowed to be properly assessed and I wish to place on record my support for the Rothamsted scientists and their work on this experimental aphid-repelling GM wheat crop that could prove to be a huge step forward in environmentally friendly protection of crops from virus diseases. I sincerely hope that the activists, who have been invited to an open discussion of the issue by Rothamsted Research, will reconsider their refusal to attend.
"The crop needs to be assessed throughout the growing season, which cannot happen if it is destroyed by anti-GM activists. Rothamsted Research is in my constituency and I have no hesitation in fully supporting this institution and the ground breaking work that it is doing."
