As the first two items which refer to crops grown from seed contaminated by genetically modified organisms are being taken together, Deputy Gilmore and Deputy Clune each have five minutes.
Adjournment Debate. - Genetically Modified Organisms.
I thank the Chair for selecting this item and I thank the Minister for coming to the House himself to reply to it. This matter is one that will be of serious concern to all those who value the safety of the food we eat and is a matter that calls for full and immediate answers from the Government, the Environmental Protection Agency and those promoting the greater use of genetically modified organisms.
When it emerged two weeks ago that a significant consignment of rapeseed, originating in Canada and which had been contaminated with the GM variety of the crop, had been planted across in Europe and had been distributed across 600 farms and planted in 30,000 acres in the UK, there was a general sigh of relief that Ireland appeared to have escaped on this occasion. Despite the reassuring noises from the Department of the Environment and Local Government and the company behind the rapeseed, Advanta, that Ireland had no reason to worry, it now emerges that a consignment of contaminated seed had made its way to Ireland, was planted here, harvested, fed to animals and has in all likelihood found its way into the human food chain. What is more, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, which has overall responsibility for food safety in Ireland actually planted the contaminated seed in its own facilities in counties Cork, Kildare and Kilkenny.
We are entitled to answers from all concerned as to how this was allowed to happen. Consumers, who have been shown by research to be concerned by the implications of GMOs, may well have consumed food products contaminated with genetically modified organisms. While there are still issues to be resolved about GMOs and neither public or scientific opinion is unanimous on the issue, the bottom line is that nobody should be asked to consume foodstuffs without being fully aware of their contents.
The Labour Party believes that the consumer has the right to know what is in the food we buy, how it is made, where it comes from and how it has been treated. That has not happened on this occasion and even if the amounts of seed involved were reportedly very small, it is not good enough. Even at this stage the EPA is quoted today as declining to indicate the level of risk pending the completion of its investigation.
This failure emphasises the need for a more coordinated approach on the part of the Irish authorities. At least four Departments and at least two Government agencies share responsibility for different aspects of the GMO issue. We clearly need better co-ordination between the Departments and agencies responsible.
It is no comfort to anyone that the GMO involved had been approved for use in North America, as it had not been cleared for use in Europe or approved for use in Ireland. Many things are acceptable to consumers in North America which are not acceptable to European consumers. For instance, many farmers have gone to jail in this country for injecting their cattle with growth promoters which are quite legally available and widely used in North America. The success of our food exports has been based largely on our reputation for clean natural products and this incident can only damage that reputation.
The Government must also demand from the company involved, Advanta, full details of how this consignment of rapeseed was contaminated. We are told that this happened accidentally, but it is just such accidents that proponents of GMOs told us just could not happen. Speaking in the House almost exactly 12 months ago I called for a moratorium on the production and commercial trials of GM crops in Ireland and in Europe generally to allow a space for the public and for policy makers to be better informed, to give reasoned consideration to the issues surrounding GM production and, if necessary, to put in place a satisfactory regulatory framework. This latest incident greatly increases the case for such a moratorium.
I thank the Chair for selecting this matter and the Minister for coming in to respond to it.
I echo the serious concerns following the revelations of the EPA yesterday and I am also concerned by the way this information has come to light on the use of genetically modified oilseed rape for a variety of trial purposes by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. When it was reported that 34,000 acres of contaminated seed were sown in the UK, Sweden, Germany and France, questions were immediately raised about our position. The Department of the Environment and Local Government said that no such products had been used here or had come into the Irish market. There was relief at that stage, but information has come to light which shows that statement was untrue.
I raised this issue and received an answer to a parliamentary question yesterday at the same time that the EPA issued its statement, but it did not provide me with the information we now know the Minister had at that time. The Minister's reply was grossly misleading and was not forthcoming with the facts that were in the public domain at that stage. The reply stated that there was no evidence of use in this country of any GM seed varieties approved by other EU States. That is true, but he knew then that there was evidence of use of GM seed varieties that were not approved by other EU States; these varieties were approved in Canada and the United States, but the Minister chose not to place that information on the record at the time. This information has now been outlined by the EPA. The Minister's response also referred to a recent accidental spread of GM seed. The EPA has not yet finalised its investigation of this, but initial, if unconfirmed, indications are that there is no risk of the spread of this seed. Perhaps the Minister will clarify that in his response.
The findings of the current EPA investigation into how this seed came to be used here and what happened to the crop are essential from a consumer point of view and I hope those findings are made public. However, many more questions have been raised that need to be answered. What procedures and practices are in place to ensure that GM seeds are not planted here? Do these need to be revised in light of recent revelations? Is it possible that other seed companies could have released batches of seed contaminated by a genetically modified product? Those questions must be answered.
Advanta, the company which supplied the contaminated product, stated that it had never sold any commercial quantities of seed to a customer in the Republic of Ireland, but it did supply stocks which are now known to contain a trace of GMO to an Irish seed company. What company? How did the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development come to use this seed? The supply is very low – 2 kilogrammes of seed. I find it very strange that 2 kilogrammes used in 1998 can now be tracked down precisely and I look forward to the EPA investigation pointing out how that can be done. Are we sure that is all that is involved? That question must be addressed. The variety trials referred to are not covered by Directive 92/20, which controls the deliberate release of genetically modified products. This has been shown to be a gap in the system.
We must revise the manner in which we control these seeds and the production of such food. As Deputy Gilmore said, there are many Departments and groups involved in this area, including the Department of the Environment and Local Government, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and the Department of Health and Children to which the Food Safety Authority reports. More co-ordination and co-operation is required between these Departments if consumer confidence is to be developed.
This issue is about consumer confidence, openness and transparency. It is not good enough to deal with this situation by using half truths and half answers. There must be openness and transparency and the full facts must be made available.
I thank the Deputies for bringing this matter to the attention of the House. Following the recent publicity about the dissemination of genetically modified rapeseed and its cultivation in several countries of the EU, I am grateful for the opportunity to give the House up to date information on this matter and to set out its context and background.
My Department carries out variety evaluation trials at the request of seed merchants on crops of agricultural importance on an annual basis by means of small scale field trials. The purpose of these trials is to test new crop varieties for potential value for cultivation and use to Irish agriculture. Successful varieties are then admitted to the national catalogue of agricultural varieties and made available to farmers for commercial planting.
The affected seed – hyola 38 and hyola 401 – originated in Canada and the contamination is believed to have come about through cross pollination between two oilseed rape crops that were sown too close. The seed was sown commercially on farms in seven EU countries, covering an area exceeding 15,500 hectares. This is the latest area notified by member states to the European Commission.
Oilseed rape varieties hyola 38 and hyola 401 were included in the Department's small scale field trials in 1997 and 1998. These varieties were submitted on the basis that they were conventionally bred. The applicant company was Advanta Seeds UK which supplied 1kg of seed of each of the varieties hyola 38 and hyola 401. A total of 20 conventionally bred varieties of oilseed rape were involved in trials in each of the two years.
The field trials were carried out at three centres – the Department's national crop centre at Backweston, Leixlip, County Kildare, its cereals testing station at Ballinacurra, Midleton, County Cork and Teagasc Agricultural College, Clonakilty, County Cork. In the field trials, plots of each variety were sown in four replications. Each plot size was two metres by 15 metres. Thus, the total area sown to each of the two varieties of hyola in each of the two years amounted to less than 0.04 hectares or one tenth of an acre.
The varieties in the trial were presented as conventionally bred varieties and, accordingly, were treated in the normal fashion as there was no reason at the time to follow any other procedure. At the conclusion of the trials, the harvested material of the two varieties in question, with the exception of 2kgs which were retained by the Department as a sample, along with the other varieties on trial were sent to feed compounders for incorporation in animal feedstuffs. The retained sample is being made available to the EPA for appropriate analysis. The Department has not undertaken trials on genetically modified varieties and does not have any application on hand for the possible inclusion of such a variety in its trial list at present.
Following the conclusion of the oilseed rape trial in 1998, the varieties were not incorporated into the national catalogue of approved varieties for commercial use. No further applications were made to the Department for either further evaluation or commercialisation of the varieties.
It is a source of great concern to me that contaminated seed, whether accidental or otherwise, was submitted for the purpose of variety trial evaluation in Ireland. The Government is determined to prevent a recurrence. Accordingly, my Department is working closely with the competent authority in this matter, the EPA, on the establishment of an appropriate monitoring and control system to ensure that contaminated seed is not imported in the future.
At EU level, the Commission is bringing forward legislation as a matter of urgency to address the problem at Community level. While the final provisions of the legislation are yet to be agreed, I understand they are likely to include: measures for identification of third country seed imports into the Community; agreed testing and sampling procedures; obligations on importers to ensure imports are free from contamination; procedures for dealing with contaminated crops sown acci dentally, including provisions for destruction of such crops. I will support the Commission's proposals in this area.
I hope the facts and information I have given and the steps being taken will clarify the situation and help allay any concerns or misapprehensions which might exist as regards the import of the small quantity of affected seed. This was a small consignment presented for trial with no indication or knowledge at the time that there were any GMO implications. The product was not put on sale commercially in Ireland and my Department and the EPA are working closely to establish the full facts of the case. This issue is being dealt with thoroughly and openly, not just in the context of the issue itself but also in the interest of our environment and the food industry which we cherish so dearly.