THE public hearings against the proposal to add the first GM seed to the National Seed List, thereby removing the last legal barrier to grow the CM crop commercially have been postponed indefinitely.

The Government discovered tests on the seed prior to the application to place it on the seed list were incomplete.

However, there is no requirement for tests relating to long-term safety for animals or people consuming GMOs.

This GM seed intended as a fodder maize for cattle has never actually been tested on cattle.

Instead it has been tested on rats and chickens that have completely different digestive systems to ruminants.

Indeed, scientists from Bristol University, commissioned by Friends Of The Earth, reviewed a study done by the company Aventis and found that it showed a failure to investigate suspicious trends these being higher deaths of chickens fed the GM maize than those fed conventional feed.

A leading expert on ruminant nutrition and director of the International Feed Resource Unit called as a witness by FoE at the hearing stated that he wouldn't drink milk from cows fed GM maize with the present knowledge.

Although there is none grown for commercial use here yet, much of our meat and dairy is produced from animals fed on imported GM feed and there is no requirement to label this.

Meanwhile GMOs not been authorised for human consumption in Europe have been found in certain maize/corn products from four supermarkets here.

JO RIPLEY

Friends of the Earth

Devizes and Marlborough

Hyde Lane

Marlborough