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UK: GM economic benefit 'limited'
LONDON, England -- Any economic benefit from genetically modified crops in Britain will likely be limited in the short-term, a government report says. And any wider-ranging benefits in the long-term would depend in part on public attitudes, according to the report. The study, released Friday by the Cabinet Office Strategy Unit, comes as the United States pressures European countries to drop their ban on GM products, saying it hurts U.S. farmers and contributes to famine in Africa -- a contention Europe rejects. The report said GM crops could offer a limited cost and convenience advantage to British farmers in the near future, the UK Press Association said. Only a narrow range of existing GM crops are suited to British conditions, and weak consumer demand is likely to limit acceptance. Future developments in GM crops have the potential to offer more wide-ranging benefits to farmers and consumers, it said. Possibilities include GM crops with agricultural benefits more suited to Britain; GM crops delivering health benefits, such as foods with added nutrients; or non-food GM crops used as a source of pharmaceuticals and vaccines. However, the overall balance of future costs and benefits will depend on public attitudes and the ability of the regulatory system to manage uncertainties, the report said. The report is the first from the government ahead of a decision expected in the autumn on whether to let GM crops be grown commercially in Britain. GM crops have been grown in the UK on an experimental basis for years, with the products destroyed after the trials. The study examined the effects of GM food on farmers, processors, retailers, consumers, the environment, the biotechnology industry and developing countries. It looked at crops that are currently available and at possible developments over the next 10 to 15 years. UK Environment Minister Elliot Morley said: "The report highlights that GM crops are one area in which GM technology has significant potential to contribute to the UK's future economic prosperity and sustainability. "But it also points out that GM crops are just one possible tool for achieving our goals -- important advances in crop production will also come from conventional and organic techniques. "The report sets out a range of potential futures for GM crops in the UK. "These helpfully illustrate the trade-offs that will be involved whatever approach the UK adopts to GM crops over the next 10 to 15 years. "But quite rightly, the report reiterates that consumers and retailers will play an important part in shaping the future role for GM crops." In Europe, officials are moving toward lifting a five-year freeze on biotech products in the European Union by the end of 2003. But the move is not expected to soothe an already bitter trade dispute. Last week, the European Parliament cleared the way for the ban to be lifted when it approved tough new rules on GM products, including labeling. (Full story) Under the new rules, products with more than 0.9 percent of biotech material would have to be labeled with the words: "This product is produced from GMOs." But Washington says mandatory labeling would be too costly for exporters. U.S. farmers estimate the existing European restrictions have cost them nearly $300 million a year in lost corn exports alone. The issue has soured EU-U.S. trade relations and led the United States, Canada and Australia to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization. Meanwhile, in Canada, three leading plant scientists Wednesday said that biotech giant Monsanto's "Roundup Ready" wheat would pose an unacceptable level of environmental risk if released in unconfined areas of western Canada. The Canadian Wheat Board has demanded that Monsanto withdraw its wheat, engineered to withstand its popular Roundup weed killer, from a government review. But Monsanto has refused to withdraw an application for Canadian government approvals for its GM wheat.
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