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Dept of the Environment Transport and the Regions

Answer

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 23 January 2001, Official Report, column 528W, if consignments of imported crop seeds have been tested for the adventitious presence of GM varieties by the officials of a UK statutory body during 2000. [147976] Mr. Meacher: Further to my previous reply of 23 January 2001, Official Report, column 528W, the GM inspectorate at the Central Science Laboratory (CSL) conducts audits of seed importing companies, to confirm whether they were operating proper checks and procedures to ensure that no unauthorised GM material was being imported. Under section 115 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, inspectors may carry out tests and take samples from premises but the inspectors must have reason to believe that unauthorised GMOs are being kept or had escaped. The evidence that the GM inspectorate examined satisfied them that no unauthorised GM material was present, and so no additional tests for GM presence needed to be undertaken. I am not aware that the officials of any other UK statutory body have tested imported seeds for the adventitious presence of GM varieties during 2000.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

147976; 362 c130W;362 c131W

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Contamination Inspections Genetically modified organisms Imports Seeds Central Science Laboratory

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk