Lord Taylor’s speech on November 29th sparked a lively response from GM Freeze. Campaign director Pete Riley told ARC 2020: “The big problem with Lord Taylor’s idea is that subsidising private R&D in agriculture will take us in the wrong direction – more GM crops and more chemical interventions.”
Sustainable solutions are already common knowledge, but are economically inconvenient for the biotech lobby: “Working alongside farmers to improve the soil moisture retention and absorption , carbon content and biodiversity will not bring repeat sales which the agri-biotech companies need to keep their shareholders happy,” Riley explained. “Similarly, creating habitats on farms which encourage pollinating insects, predators and parasites of pests will not excite boards of directors.”
Riley warned that: “It would be a gross misuse of public money to subsidise the development of high-tech approaches which will probably cause as many problems as they solve.”
Meanwhile, GM Freeze is concerned that: “…vital research into agroecological approaches for the future of farming will continue to be starved of cash and less money will be available to help build a sustainable rural economy which will make farming an attractive career for young people once again.”
The GM Freeze campaign is UK based and supported by an alliance of organisations sharing the public’s deep concern about the speed at which genetic engineering is being introduced into food and farming.