GM trials & foot and mouth

2 items below - quote from second

"We believe that we are right in saying that four of the proposed trial sites are within a confirmed foot-and-mouth exclusion zone and that nine trials are in zones of a suspected outbreak, or very close to a confirmedoutbreak."

Farmscale trial sites and their map references: http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/gmdebate/Story/0,2763,444883,00.html
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Farmers Fear GM Crop Trials Could Spread Foot-and-mouth
Amanda Brown
The Western Mail
22/03/2001

FARMERS are urging Agriculture Minister Nick Brown to postpone GM field crop trials as they fear it will risk spreading the foot-and-mouth virus.

The sites of the latest round of trials for maize, to be sown this spring, are expected soon, and will encompass many livestock-producing areas of the country.

Other spring-sown GM crops have already been licensed and the sowing of crops such as fodder beet, which is also grown for fodder grazing, is to start soon.

The farms are scattered throughout the country and include conventional, arable, organic, livestock and mixed. Some are members of the National Farmers’ Union, others are not, and while some support GM crops, others are undecided. A letter to Mr Brown, written by Peter Lundgren of White Home Farm, Branston Fen, Lincoln, states, “We all watch the TV news with a sense of foreboding, enormous sympathy for those affected and a deep determination to protect our farms, our livestock and our future from this terrible disease. In order to protect our businesses we are demanding the postponement of the field scale trials of genetically-modified crops.”

Ananova: Farmers call for GM crop trials delay

Worried farmers are urging Agriculture Minister Nick Brown to postpone GM field crop trials because they fear it will risk further spread of the foot-and-mouth virus.

The sites of the latest round of trials for maize, to be sown this spring, are expected shortly, and will encompass many livestock-producing areas of the country.

Other spring-sown GM crops have already been licensed and the sowing of crops such as fodder beet, which is also grown for fodder grazing, is to start shortly.

The farmers are scattered throughout the country and include conventional, organic, arable, livestock and mixed.

Some are members of the National Farmers Union, others are not, and while some support GM crops, others are undecided.

A letter to Mr Brown, written by Peter Lundgren of White Home Farm, Branston Fen, Lincoln, states: "We all share a sense of horror at the slaughter of animals caused by the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

"We all watch the television news with a sense of foreboding, enormous sympathy for those affected and a deep determination to protect our farms, our livestock and our future from this terrible disease.

"In order to protect our businesses we are demanding the postponement of the field scale trials of genetically-modified crops.

"We want an immediate halt to the planting of all the spring-sown genetically modified trials and a review of how, and if, the growing winter GM trials can be monitored safely.

GM trials & foot and mouth - farmers' fears