Foot and mouth disease may hit GM trials

The next round of GM farm scale trials is under threat following the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. The Government is believed to be considering the immediate future of 64 planned GM sites, due to be named later this week. Ecological research was badly hit during the last outbreak in 1967, and may be severely affected if the epidemic worsens.

The main concern would be for GM fodder maize and fodder beet which should be grown on mixed farms or livestock farms. All the trials are potentially under threat, however.

"The foot and mouth disaster is having implications in the most unexpected areas," said Pete Riley, Senior Food Campaigner at Friends of the Earth. "The last thing farming needs is for the foot and month situation to be made worse by scientists travelling between farms to carry out research on crops no one wants to buy. And if the ecological evaluations can't be carried out, there would be no reason for the GM trials to go ahead."