GM crops are the right way to feed the world’s growing population and are probably safer than conventional crops, said the government's chief scientific adviser, Sir David King yesterday.

In an announcement welcomed by the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB), Sir David told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that he is in support of genetically modified food technology and its research to help develop new crops. This followed the release of official figures from the Office of National Statistics that suggest that Britain’s population is on course to double by the end of the century.

The chief adviser told the radio show: “We are going to need to get cleverer with new crops. In my view, we have the technology. It is GM.”

This is good news for Cambridge-based NIAB as it is the only plant science research organisation in the UK that conducted research on GM crops this year - a field trial for blight resistant potato. The plant science research organisation’s chief executive and director, Professor Wayne Powell, hopes Sir David’s endorsement will be heeded by the nation. “GM science and technology provides huge potential benefits and we should be grabbing these opportunities with both hands,” he said. “Our regulating framework is the tightest that exists and Sir David is correct in stating that there can be more risk involved with eating ordinary food than GM food.”

Powell maintained that NIAB carries out trials under very stringent conditions in accordance with Defra’s regulations. “GM technology is crucial as the way forward to help feed the world, particularly those in drought-stricken countries like Africa, and our independent research is looking at ways of achieving this at a time when farmers face increasing challenges from drought stress and climate change,” he added. “I also strongly believe that the food produced in the UK should be trialled and evaluated here, and not abroad. We have the scientific skills and I have every confidence that our scientists could lead the way in this.”

Topics