Europe must ditch GM hang-up

That was the message from the Chairman of the European Parliament agriculture committee Neil Parish MEP when speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference this week.

“One of the problems Europe has got is its hang up over GM crops,” said Mr Parish.

“We need to wake up and smell the coffee. I think Monsanto now claim to have developed wheat and oil seed rape that needs around a third of the amount of nitrogen input than conventional crops.

“If these crops take off can you imagine Europe not taking advantage? When you think about the amount of energy needed to make artificial nitrogen, GM does seem to be one solution to our problem,” he said, adding that feed and food prices will be pushed up if the EU fails to take advantage of the new feed source.

During his address to delegates Mr Parish said that the 2008 ‘Health Check’ on the CAP will move agriculture closer to a market orientated system of agriculture. The Commission’s proposal on scrapping set-aside, abolishing milk quotas and compulsory modulation are all welcome as long as they fully maintain a level playing field for all farmers across the EU, he said.

Mr Parish praised the Commission for reducing the number of Brazilian holdings permitted to export beef to the EU but called for a complete ban on Brazilian beef imports over traceability and quality assurance concerns.

Mr Parish concluded that produce that enters the EU from around the world must be produced to the same high standards expected from home grown produce.

“British farmers sell the highest quality products in the world and they do so while respecting high environmental and animal welfare standards. There is a growing market out there for farmers to tap into and our job as politicians is to give farmers the conditions to thrive,” he said.

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