Lynas targets organic groups and celebrity chefs over GM

ORGANIC ORGANISATIONS who do not accept genetic technology which improves the environment should be boycotted by farmers and the public, according to a leading environmentalist.

Mark Lynas, author of agricultural science books including the God Species, said anti-GM arguments did not stand up to rational examination, and failure to accept the technology was holding back European agriculture.

At the Oxford Farming Conference yesterday Mr Lynas said he had helped start the anti-GM movement, but his views had been reversed after he realised the argument was built on myth.

Apologising for spending several years ripping up GM crops and demonising important technology, Mr Lynas said GM technology could provide important environmental gains which organic bodies could not ignore.

“I would like to campaign to get the organic movement to support GM where it can provide environmental benefits,” he said.

“There should be a boycott of organic groups and bodies who do not accept technology that improves environmental outcomes.”

Mr Lynas said the development of GM technology had been hit by myths perpetuated by organic groups, aristocrats and celebrity chefs.

Europe’s yield growth had stalled because of an unwillingness to embrace the technology, he added.

“That has to change because the arguments do not stand up to rational examination and are holding back Europe in the agricultural arena.”

He said the anti-GM lobby is “entitled to its views, but we are coming to a crunch point and now is the time to get out of the way and let the rest of us get on with feeding the world sustainably”.

Mr Lynas said British aristocrats and celebrity chefs had also held back science by stirring public fear of GM, preventing European farmers from increasing their yields by making use of the technology.

“Monty Don [presenter of Gardeners’ World and Soil Association president] and I have been involved in lengthy Twitter

“Now is the time to get out of the way and let the rest of us get on with feeding the world sustainably.”

Mark Lynas

battles over the organic sector’s anti-GM stance and we are never going to agree.

“I would also be interested to hear chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s stance on using GM oilseed currently being trialled by Rothamsted Research to feed farmed fish given his concerns about over-fishing.”

In a damning critique of organic food he added: “Most celebrity chefs sell themselves on natural things such as organic, which are marketing scams. Their bubbles have to be pricked.

“There is no evidence that organic is any healthier, but the general public’s understanding is that it is.

“The whole logical fallacy needs to be tackled. People shouldn’t be subjected to an ongoing marketing scam where they are being told to pay a premium where there is no benefit. “

“We can’t expect the general public to read up on this. They get their information second-hand from celebrity chefs, so they have a responsibility to report the issues more accurately.”

Tom Macmillan, Soil Association innovation director, said improving productivity had an important part to play in feeding the world sustainably, but said Mr Lynas’ “banging on about GM” was a red herring.

“Farmers and the public have been promised the earth on GM, yet the results to date have been poor.

“The UK Government’s own farm-scale experiment showed that overall the GM crops were worse for British wildlife.

“Lynas and other GM enthusiasts must beware of opening floodgates to real problems like this.”

Picture: PA. Dividing lines: Mark Lynas said the development of GM technology had been hit by myths perpetuated by organic groups, aristocrats and celebrity chefs.