BRITISH SUGAR SAYS 'NO' TO GE

According to Crops magazine dated 31 Jan., "British Sugar will not accept any genetically modified sugar beet through its factory gates. According to the article this is to "allay the fears of British Sugar's supermarket and food processing customers". It said that retailers are demanding guarantees from the company that the entire production process from beet seed to sugar has not been "contaminated" by genetic engineering. Apparently even Coca Cola do not want GE sugar!

British Sugars promises that no GM beet is processed at present - and also rules out "plans to introduce GM varieties in the near future. Geoff Lancaster, communications chief at the company said that it is not a question of where the company stands in relation to genetic engineering but is about what the customer wants. "I realise that this paints a bleak future for GM varieties." He concluded that "we are now at a crossroads - public suspicion and mistrust may sink this technology without a trace." The article also mentioned that protests had caused much public concern and also mentioned that field trials had been destroyed, including the only trial of GE sugar beet in Ireland.

* GM Sugar Beet trials will continue at sites all around Britain, you can find out where by requesting a copy of the GMO public register from the biotech dept. of the DETR. Their tel no is 0171 276 8331. Make sure they send you the copy with full grid references. They are obliged by law to do so. They also have a website with the register on it: http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/projects/doe/register.html For info on similar actions see http://www.envirolink.org/orgs/shag/x-files.html