Press releases

News releases and comments from GM Freeze are listed below.

For more information, images and interviews, please contact Liz O’Neill on 07811 211 404 or liz[at]gmfreeze.org

DEFRA issues a free pass on new GM technique Crop created using CRISPR genome editing techniques to be planted without a full risk assessment

Comment (22 May 2018)

DEFRA has given Rothamsted Research consent to plant a new open air field trial of GM camelina plants, including two lines produced using new CRISPR genome editing techniques. The trial application did not include a risk assessment for the CRISPR plants …
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Proposed GM trial presents new risk to people and wildlife Plants produce wax esters which can cause oily anal discharge if eaten

Immediate release (28 Mar 2018)

Twenty-six organisations including farmers, scientists, retailers and environmentalists today lodged a formal objection to the latest proposed open-air GM field trial by Rothamsted Research. If granted consent by Defra, the trial will see genetically modified camelina plants grown in open …
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Brexit and GM Twin campaigns launched to safeguard our food and our farms

Immediate release (8 Mar 2018)

GM Freeze, the UK’s umbrella campaign on genetic modification (GM) in food and farming, today launched twin campaigns aiming to protect key safeguards as the UK prepares to leave the European Union (EU). Focused on issues around growing and importing …
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Why are NGOs sceptical of genome editing? New peer reviewed report finds that NGO opposition to agricultural biotechnology cannot be dismissed as being emotional or dogmatic

Immediate release (6 Nov 2017)

‘Genome editing is not the answer to world poverty, because food shortage isn’t the problem’ says a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) surveyed by the University of Nottingham. This is one of three main findings in a report from the …
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Evolution gives insect pests the upper hand Study confirms that pest insects are evolving resistance to GM Bt crops

Breaking News (10 Oct 2017)

A new study published today in the journal Nature Biotechnology has confirmed a huge increase in the number of pest insects that have evolved resistance to the GM Bt crops engineered to kill them. Researchers at the University of Arizona showed …
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Make Brexit mean Better for our food and our farms GM campaign group releases General Election manifesto to protect key safeguards after UK leaves European Union

Immediate release (18 May 2017)

Regulation, labelling and compensation for farmers subjected to GM contamination are all included in a General Election manifesto published today by GM Freeze, the UK umbrella campaign on genetically modified food, crops and patents. Most UK regulation around food and …
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Defra overrides public concern to write regulatory blank cheque for untested GM

Immediate release (8 May 2017)

Despite 119 public representations raising a wide range of concerns, Farming Minster George Eustice quietly gave consent [1] on 27 April to a controversial open air field trial of GM potatoes that have not been tested under controlled conditions. The …
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Illegal GM petunias show disregard for regulation

Comment (8 May 2017)

Commenting on the news that unauthorised genetically modified petunias have been found for sale in the UK, Liz O’Neill, Director of GM Freeze said today: Regardless of whether or not these particular GM plants pose an immediate threat to people, …
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Princess Anne: GM already causes more than “occasional downsides”

Comment (22 Mar 2017)

Princess Anne’s comments in support of GM Crops are widely reported in the media today. Taken from a Farming Today interview that has not yet been broadcast (it will air on 23 March) the Princess Royal’s comments include the idea …
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Regulatory blank cheque for untested GM potatotes? Thirty-three organisations including farmers, scientists, retailers, caterers and environmentalists, have lodged a formal objection to a proposed open air field trial of experimental GM potatoes, describing them as untested, unwanted and unnecessary.

Immediate release (21 Mar 2017)

If granted consent by Defra, the trial will see the experimental potatoes planted in an open field at the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, despite the fact they have not been tested under controlled conditions. Applications for a “deliberate release” of …
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GM wheat will be planted in Hertfordshire

Comment (1 Feb 2017)

Commenting on the news that Rothamsted Research has received consent to go ahead with an open-air trial of GM wheat, Liz O’Neill, Director of umbrella campaign group GM Freeze said: GM Freeze and thirty other organisations submitted a detailed objection …
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EU nations say NO to GM crops but not quite loudly enough European Commission must protect our right and grow and eat GM Free after key EU vote rejects crops but fails to meet qualified majority voting standard

Immediate release (27 Jan 2017)

A key vote today saw European nations oppose the European Commission’s proposal to authorise the first new GM crops for cultivation since 1998, but failed to achieve the necessary majority for the proposal to be formally shelved. [1] EU member …
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Impact of changing genome goes way beyond intended effects

Comment (19 Dec 2016)

Commenting on a new study showing unexpected differences between GM and non-GM maize, GM Freeze Director Liz O’Neill said: This study shows that the impact of changing an organism’s genome in the lab goes way beyond intended effects. Genetics is …
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Poll shows support for figment of Bayer’s imagination

Comment (5 Nov 2016)

Commenting on a poll commisioned by Bayer, which showed 54% of UK adults agreeing with GM crops “in principle, provided there are no negative consequences related to health or the environment”, GM Freeze Director Liz O’Neill said: Unfortunately, the agrochemical …
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New Rothamsted wheat trial misses the point

Comment (4 Nov 2016)

Commenting on news that Rothamsted Research has applied for permission to carry out a field trial of GM wheat plants [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/genetically-modified-organisms-rothamsted-research-16r0802], GM Freeze Director Liz O’Neill said Rothamsted’s researchers have totally missed the point – why do we want to …
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Waitrose announces pork products will be non GM-fed GM Freeze comment on Waitrose press release entitled "Waitrose to responsibly source European soya in UK retailer first”

Comment (1 Nov 2016)

Waitrose’s announcement that its pork products will now be fed non-GM European soya comes just ten days after umbrella group GM Freeze launched a campaign highlighting the use of GM animal feed by UK supermarkets (www.feedmethetruth.org). Waitrose already scores better …
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Consumers in the dark as UK supermarkets keep quiet about GM in the food chain 9 out of 10 UK supermarkets fail to score in assessment of policy, products and information about the use of GM animal feed.

Immediate release (22 Oct 2016)

A damning new assessment of the UK’s top ten supermarkets demonstrated today just how far GM crops have crept unnoticed into the UK food chain. Launching the Feed me the Truth campaign [1], umbrella group GM Freeze ranked supermarkets against …
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EU approval of 3 new GM crops shows real face of GM 2.0

Comment (22 Jul 2016)

Commenting on the news that the European Commission has authorised three new GM soyabeans for import, after the European Council (member countries) could not reach a decision, GM Freeze Director Liz O’Neill said: We hear constantly about the hypothetical potential …
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Brexit Gov’t urged to take control of food, farming & fisheries for public good

Immediate release (14 Jul 2016)

Over 80 organisations, including GM Freeze, have signed a letter to David Davis and Theresa May to stress the important implications of Brexit on food and farming. With many of the UK’s food and farming policies and subsidies being defined …
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Fishy GM trial gets go ahead despite new research showing harm to butterflies

Immediate release (25 Apr 2016)

Farming minster George Eustice has granted consent for a new trial of genetically modified (GM) oil seed, despite new research showing that consumption of the omega 3 oils made by the GM plants can seriously harm butterflies. The Canadian study …
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