As part of an ongoing roadshow on GM crops, the Royal Society hosted a discussion event in Belfast this week on the principles of GM crops and how science can become more involved in the debate.
Opening the event, Professor Chris Elliott from Queen’s University Belfast said it was difficult to get a topic more controversial than GM food technologies.
“The Royal Society’s questions and answers booklet and these events are about setting aside some of the myths surrounding GM crops from the truths,” he said.
A method, not a product
In the foreword in the society’s booklet, the Royal Society’s president Venki Ramakrishnan said: “GM is a method, not a product in itself. Different GM crops have different characteristics and it is impossible, from a scientific point of view, to make a blanket statement that all GM is good or bad.”
Last year, GM crops were grown in 28 countries worldwide covering an area of 179.7m hectares, equal to 10% of the world’s arable land.
The European Food Safety Authority regulates applications to develop a GM crop within the EU with final responsibility for local implementation now down to individual member states and devolved administrations. Last September, former environment minister Mark H Durcan announced that the cultivation of GM crops was being prohibited in NI.
Listen to an interview with Professor Kevin Folta from the University of Florida, one of the speakers at the event in Belfast, below:
Further coverage from the event in Belfast will feature in next week’s edition of the Irish Farmers Journal and on www.farmersjournal.ie
Read more
Environment Minister bans GM crops in Northern Ireland
As part of an ongoing roadshow on GM crops, the Royal Society hosted a discussion event in Belfast this week on the principles of GM crops and how science can become more involved in the debate.
Opening the event, Professor Chris Elliott from Queen’s University Belfast said it was difficult to get a topic more controversial than GM food technologies.
“The Royal Society’s questions and answers booklet and these events are about setting aside some of the myths surrounding GM crops from the truths,” he said.
A method, not a product
In the foreword in the society’s booklet, the Royal Society’s president Venki Ramakrishnan said: “GM is a method, not a product in itself. Different GM crops have different characteristics and it is impossible, from a scientific point of view, to make a blanket statement that all GM is good or bad.”
Last year, GM crops were grown in 28 countries worldwide covering an area of 179.7m hectares, equal to 10% of the world’s arable land.
The European Food Safety Authority regulates applications to develop a GM crop within the EU with final responsibility for local implementation now down to individual member states and devolved administrations. Last September, former environment minister Mark H Durcan announced that the cultivation of GM crops was being prohibited in NI.
Listen to an interview with Professor Kevin Folta from the University of Florida, one of the speakers at the event in Belfast, below:
Further coverage from the event in Belfast will feature in next week’s edition of the Irish Farmers Journal and on www.farmersjournal.ie
Read more
Environment Minister bans GM crops in Northern Ireland
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