Rothamsted Research has applied for permission to plant a field trial of GM Wheat and a statutory public consultation is now open. Field trials always carry a risk of escape and wheat is a staple food in the UK so we shouldn’t be taking any risks. Furthermore, we would question the need for ‘low acrylamide’ wheat. Acrylamide has the same carcinogen rating as glyphosate, so it does matter, but it is much more present in potatoes than wheat and you can reduce it significantly by not burning your toast.
ORC are members of GM Freeze and we want to stop this trial being nodded through, by analysing and responding to the fine technical details while supporting hundreds of people to make their feelings known in a constructive way.
GM Freeze is currently very reliant on restricted project funding so they are only going to be able to do an in-depth response if their donation appeal is successful but they intend to do something and hope to offer the option to sign on to a shared objection, as they have done in the past.
The deadline for submissions to the consultation is 4 July.
You can get in contact with GM Freeze via www.gmfreeze.org/stop, on Twitter @gmfreeze or on Facebook @gmfreezeUK
