Paterson right on GM, says CLA

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) logo

The CLA has backed Owen Paterson’s promotion of GM as a “safe, proven and beneficial” innovation and his call for the issue to be considered objectively and without political bias.

The Association said the potential benefits of GM are huge with the UK being the natural home for GM research.

However, scare tactics and misinformation has meant that the issue has lost scientific objectivity and become political.

CLA North Regional Director Dorothy Fairburn said: “GM isn’t the only solution to food shortages but technological innovation has always been at the heart of UK agriculture and it needs to be part of its future.

“Consumers, farmers and landowners should be given the freedom to choose whether they consume or produce GM.”