Written question asked by Peter Ainsworth (Conservative) on Wednesday, 10 March 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 23 March 2004. It was answered by Elliot Morley (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 March 2004 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will establish who paid for the research on the GM farm scale evaluations undertaken by members of the Scientific Steering Committee and published by Nature on 5th March. - (Holding answer 15 March 2004).

Answer: Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will establish who paid for the research on the GM farm scale evaluations undertaken by members of the Scientific Steering Committee and published by Nature on 5 March. [161520] Mr. Morley: [holding answer 15 March 2004]: The research published in the Nature paper "Ban on triazine herbicides likely to reduce but not negate relative benefits of GMHT maize cropping" (Nature AOP; published online 4 March 2004) was undertaken by the authors at the expense of their respective institutes (listed on the paper). Defra and Scottish Executive paid for the data collected in the farm-scale evaluations, on which the paper was based, but did not commission this work. None of the authors were members of the Scientific Steering Committee. The research was peer reviewed by scientists not involved in the FSEs.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 419 c698-9W;419 c700-1W; 161520
Session: 2003-04
Subjects: Crops Genetically modified organisms Research Maize Scientific Steering Committee
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk