SGR Submission to the Scottish Parliamentary Health and Community Care Committee

Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) submits that GM field trials should be halted based on the precautionary principle. The submission highlights risks including the potential for GM genes to reduce soil fertility, the toxicity of GM pollen to insects, and the increased use of toxic herbicides. It further criticizes the lack of independent monitoring and data transparency in trials and provides evidence from North America regarding the pervasive and 'disastrous' contamination of organic crops and seeds by GM varieties.

• The precautionary principle should be used to stop GM trials because of potential health damage from GM pollen and the risk of long-term health repercussions if GM crops cause adverse changes to the soil.
• There is a risk that GM genes could leak into soil micro-organisms and transfer horizontally to other species, potentially causing widespread and irreparable damage to soil fertility.
• Current GM field trials lack transparency and independent oversight, as they are designed by biotech companies that are not required to publish their data, and they do not monitor the health of agricultural workers or local populations exposed to GM pollen.
• Evidence suggests GM products can be toxic to animals; specifically, laboratory studies showed a 44% mortality rate in Monarch butterfly larvae fed GM Bt-maize pollen, and some transgenic canola varieties may destroy bees' ability to recognize flower smells.
• The cultivation of GM crops is associated with increased herbicide use and higher toxicity; in the US, the 10% most heavily treated fields (mostly Roundup Ready) required at least 34 times more herbicide than the bottom 10% of non-GM fields, with glyphosate identified as the third most frequent cause of illness among California agricultural workers.
• Cross-contamination of non-GM crops is considered inevitable by the UK government, and current separation distances are inadequate as maize pollen can travel hundreds of metres or even kilometres.
• In North America, GM contamination has reached levels described as 'disastrous,' leading many organic farmers in Saskatchewan to stop growing oilseed rape and making it nearly impossible for farmers to source GM-free seeds for maize, oilseed rape, and soya.

APA

Scientists for Global Responsibility (2002). SGR Submission to the Scottish Parliamentary Health and Community Care Committee. https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/human-health-concerns-gm-agriculture

Chicago

Scientists for Global Responsibility. SGR Submission to the Scottish Parliamentary Health and Community Care Committee. 2002. https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/human-health-concerns-gm-agriculture.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Scientists for Global Responsibility |title=SGR Submission to the Scottish Parliamentary Health and Community Care Committee |date=November 2002 |url=https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/human-health-concerns-gm-agriculture |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{scientistsforglobalresponsibility2002sgr, author = {{Scientists for Global Responsibility}}, title = {{SGR Submission to the Scottish Parliamentary Health and Community Care Committee}}, publisher = {Scientists for Global Responsibility}, year = {2002}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/human-health-concerns-gm-agriculture}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }