ABSTRACT
In May 1999, the BMA called for a moratorium on the commercial farming of genetically-modified (GM) crops until there was a ‘scientific consensus’ on their safety. This statement followed a series of incidents in which environmental protestors had destroyed experimental GM projects and a media campaign for a ban on further developments. The BMA demanded that ‘the precautionary principle should be applied in developing modified crops or foodstuffs, as we cannot at present know whether there are any serious risks to the environment or to human health involved in producing GM crops or consuming GM food products’. (BMA 1999:12). The government, squeezed between a recognition of the substantial economic potential of GM products and mounting public anxieties, tried to hold the line. In May the government’s Chief Scientist (Robert May) and Chief Medical Officer (Liam Donaldson) issued a joint statement reassuring the public that there was ‘no current evidence to suggest that the process of genetic modification is inherently harmful’. In early 2000, however, the government crumbled and announced even tighter restrictions on the development of GM foodstuffs.
