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A new Church of Scotland report on GM crops argues that although GM is not wrong in itself, the Government should not have given the go-ahead last month for herbicide tolerant GM maize to be grown commercially in the UK. The report re-evaluates GM food and crops in the light of the findings from the UK farm scale crop trials and the 2003 public consultations. If GM crops were used they should focus on applications with obvious benefit to people or the environment. The present generation of crops would not meet these criteria. "Given the clear public opposition from the GM Nation debate, the Government has no credible mandate to go ahead with the commercial production of the present round of herbicide tolerant GM crops in the UK." The environmental justification is also uncertain. Research should continue into possibilities of health or nutritional benefits and non-food uses but GM is not a panacea to feed the world. The report will be debated at the Church of Scotland General Assembly on 18 May.

Press Release: New Kirk GM Food Report : The Wrong Crops at the Wrong Time
13 April 2004

Press Release: The Government is irresponsible to ignore Public Opinion on GM
The Government is behaving irresponsibly towards the electorate in deciding to go ahead with growing GM maize. Last summer's GM Nation consultation made quite clear that public do not want the present round of GM crops to be grown in Britain at this time. SRT was involved in promoting the debate and believes this will seriously damage future prospects for seeking public views on biotechnology. The Church of Scotland is not opposed to GM crops or GM food in principle, but the scientific justification to grow GM maize is also flawed.
9 March 2004

SRT's GM PAGES

Should We become a GM Nation - General Assembly Report
Press Release: New Kirk GM Food Report : The Wrong Crops at the Wrong Time
13 April 2004

Press Release: The Government is irresponsible to ignore Public Opinion on GM
9 March 2004

Reflections on the GM Nation Debate, November 2003
Did the GM Nation Debate give a fair view of the public or was it skewed? SRT gives a considerd opinion on the process and the outcome of the GM Nation Debate.

Should we become a GM Nation - Life and Work November 2003
An earlier article in the Church of Scotland's Life and Work magazine (November 2003) SRT considers the evidence from various quarters and updates whether we in the UK should or should not go ahead with GM crops and also its global status.

Edinburgh Debates GM Crops ... with a Card Game
As part of the UK-wide GM Nation debate, SRT and the Centre for Human Ecology organised a discussion for Edinburgh citizens 18:30-21:00 on Wednesday 18 June, at Edinburgh City Chambers It was a debate with a difference - playing a card game. To debate the controversial issues of GM crops, we have chosen a new way of democratic discussion called DEMOCS, devised by the New Economics Foundation which sets the discussion in the form of a card game. SRT Director Donald Bruce helped New Economics Foundation prepare the game. "After so much polarisation, we want to take the GM debate back to the people and hear from the ordinary public." Genetically Modified Food - General Assembly Report 1999
The report and motions of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland on genetically modified food, presented on 11 May 1999 by the SRT Project. It gives a critical and in depth look at the main issues, based on the findings of SRT's 5 year expert study on the ethics of genetic engineering, Engineering Genesis.

Genetically Modified Food - Precaution but not a Moratorium
An explanation of why the Church of Scotland General Assembly voted against a moratorium.

The Importance of Public Values in the Safety and Risk Assessment of GM Foods
SRT's submission to the OECD GM Food Safety Conference in Edinburgh, 28 Feb - 1 March 2000, analysing the failure of the commercial driving forces to take account of wider public ethical values, and calling for a new approach to risk assessment.

Genetically Modifed Food - Pros and Cons
SRT's short information sheet, laying out the case for and against genetically modified food.

Genetic Engineering - An Urgent Need for Balance
Church of Scotland April 1999 Edinburgh Science Festival Conference seeks to bring sense back to a polarised debate

Press Release - New Labelling Rules Miss the Point
Government's new labelling regulations for Genetically Modified Food don't meet the real needs
Released : 19 March 1999

Press Release - SRT Genetically Modified Food Report
"Failure in Democracy" over GM Foods
Released : 11 March 1999

SRT's Pages on Genetic Engineering in Animals and Plants

SRT's Pages on Human Genetics

SRT's Pages on Cloning

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