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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what separation distances she recommends should be imposed between GM and non-GM or organic crops of (a) sugar or fodder beet, (b) maize and (c) oilseed rape, to avoid contamination of the non-GM or organic crop above 0.01 per cent. [46621] Mr. Meacher: There are insufficient data to determine separation distances between crops that would achieve a cross-pollination threshold of 0.01 per cent. Furthermore, 0.01 per cent. is below the level at which an incidental GM presence can reliably be quantified with current analytical methods. In 2000 the National Institute or Agricultural Botany (NIAB) reported on the separation distances required to ensure that cross-pollination is below specified limits. These distances for oilseed rape and maize are shown in Table 1. NIAB did not recommend a distance for beet crops because beet is biennial and generally does not flower in the year of harvest, and any "bolters" can and should be removed before flowering. In addition, incoming pollen would not affect the vegetative parts of the plant (beet root and foliage). In 2001 the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment augmented the NIAB advice in respect of maize (Table 2). The NIAB study took account of work undertaken for the Soil Association by the National Pollen Research Unit (NPRU) which recommended separation distances to achieve an incidental GM presence which was not quantified but described as "very low risk". These distances are shown in Table 3. The NIAB study also reviewed work from a variety of researchers, such as Jones and Brooks-- "Effectiveness of distance and border rows in preventing outcrossing in corn"; Oklahoma Agricultural Experimental Station, Technical Bulletin No. T-38, 1950. Table 1: Summary of separation distances (m) required to maintain cross-pollination of the whole fields at below specified levels for fields of 2ha or more metres _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Threshold levels of cross-pollination Crop 1% 0.5% 0.1% Oilseed rape (B. napus and rapa) Conventional varieties and 1.5 10 100 restored hybrids Varietal associations and 100 {1}-- {1}-- partially restored hybrids Maize/sweetcorn For grain 200 300 {1}-- For silage 130 200 420 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} Insufficient information to produce a recommendation (see report for more detail). Source: NIAB report "Review of the use of separation distances between genetically modified and other crops", August 2000. Table 2: Summary of ACRE's advice on cross-pollination in relation to Farm Scale Evaluations of Genetically Modified Maize, 1 May 2001 metres _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Separation distances from GM maize{ 1} Neighbouring crop Adventitious GM presence in the grain or silage (upper limit) (organic and non-organic) 1% 0.5% 0.1% Maize grown for grain (sweetcorn, 130 200 420 seed crops) Maize grown for silage (forage 80 130 290 maize) _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} The table refers to varieties of GM maize, such as that used in the farm scale evaluations, which are heterozygous for the GM trait. For any homozygous varieties the amount of GM presence will be approximately double the above figures at the same separation distances. NPRU's recommended "very low risk distances", January 2000 metres _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Crop Very low risk distance Maize 3,000 Sugar beet {1}1,000 Oil seed rape 6,000 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} 3,000 metres were recommended between GM beet and organic seed production.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

389 c700-2W; 46621

Session

2001-02

Subjects

Crops Contamination Genetically modified organisms Organic farming Maize Sugar beet Oilseed rape

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

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