Lords GM food report biased

23 January 1999

Lords’ GM food report ‘biased’

CONSUMER and environmental groups have accused the House of Lords of bias in its reports on genetically modified (GM) crops.

The report, released last Thursday, dismissed objections to GM crops on environmental and health grounds, saying the benefits of the technology outweighed any risks.

The accusations of bias centre on the fact that nine of the 12 peers sitting on the Lords committee are farmers or have interests in the food industry.

The Guardian yesterday published a list of the peers which included Lord Jopling, who holds shares in Zeneca, one of the biggest biotechnology companies.

The peers are also accused of taking evidence mostly from people who had financial interests in the development of the technology.