New legislation which will give European Union member states a greater say over whether or not they grow genetically modified (GM) crops was met with a mixed response yesterday – and Scottish farmers could find themselves centre stage in an ideological tussle between the Scottish and UK governments.
However, while the UK government has been keen to see the technology made widely available, the Scottish Government has reasserted its opposition, claiming that growing GM crops would “harm the clean, green image” of Scottish food.
A Holyrood spokeswoman said yesterday: “The Scottish Government believes that GM policy in Scotland should be guided by what’s best for our economy and our own agricultural sector rather than UK priorities … there is no evidence of significant demand for GM products by Scottish consumers. To grow GM crops in Scotland would damage our clean and green brand.”
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If Scotland does adopt a different approach to England, the requirements for enforcing strict buffer zones to prevent cross-contamination together with any controls on the free flow of goods between Scotland and England could create a logistical nightmare for farmers.
Read full, original article: EU GM crops talks could cause cross border battle
