GM debate farce

The government backed public debate on the future of GM crops has been branded inadequate.

The staging of the debates, which began in Birmingham on Tuesday with a whimper, have been described as a 'catalogue of errors' by the Consumers Association.

It has taken £500,000 of public money and more than a year to organise but the Consumers Association has claimed the government is only paying lip service to consumer concerns.

The debate is at a crucial time as the GM issue threatens to cause a rift between Europe and the US. Environment minister, Michael Meacher has warned that any complaint by the US to the World Trade Organisation over the European stance on GM crops could provoke a trade war threatening US exports worth $600bn a year.

Ministers have struggled to explain the purpose of the debate as it can have little impact on the decision later this year whether to approve commercialisation of GM crops. This decision rests with the European Union and it seems the public realise this as only 100 people turned up in Birmingham, the first venue of six nationwide debates.