GM Freeze Calls for Re-Think on Research Priorities as Warwick HRI Merges
Immediate release (18 Nov 2009)
Calls to Pete Riley 0845 217 8992 or 07903 341 065
Following the announcement that Warwick Horticulture Research International will close and merge with a new “life sciences” department at Warwick University, GM Freeze has called for a “major review of research priorities and reallocation of existing funding to build a strong agroecological research base in the new institution”.
The announcement of the closure of Warwick HRI [1] was accompanied by news that it was running a £2 million annual deficit.
Last month a Royal Society report [2] called for a £50-£100 million annual increase in agricultural research and development funding in the UK.
The report also recommended that:
These were areas in which HRI used to excel, and Warwick HRI still has many scientists working in these fields, but also has carried out significant research in GM plants. [3]
Commenting Pete Riley of GM Freeze said:
It is vital that there is a major review of research priorities and reallocation of existing funding to build a strong agroecological research base in the new institution. The last thing the UK needs is to lose expertise in areas such as soil science and biological pest controls following years of under-investment in these areas, which are vital if agriculture is going to produce enough food in the future without wrecking the planet.
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Notes
[1] Listen to www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00nsnc4.