The British government yesterday attempted to steer a steady course to avoid a head-on collision with the Prince of Wales over GM foods after his fierce attack on the lack of independent scientific research in the area.
Less than two weeks after the government triumphantly claimed that the current research on GM foods concluded there was nothing to worry about, Prince Charles issued a passionate plea for greater public and government debate on the issue in an article in the Daily Mail.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, said the government was "perfectly content" for the prince to contribute to the debate which, he said, the government was seeking to encourage. And in a development that is set to reignite the fears about cross-pollination between GM crops and non-GM crops, it was disclosed that one of the largest GM field trials in Britain is only 17 miles from the prince's organic farm at Highgrove.
Earlier, the prince's public challenge was quietly received by the Environment Minister, Mr Michael Meacher, who insisted Mr Blair would not view his contribution to the public discussion as unwelcome. Mr Blair has accused the media of whipping up a hysterical GM food debate.
In his article, the prince described the GM food debate as "a very controversial and difficult issue" and raised 10 "fundamental" unanswered questions about the safety, morality, environmental consequences and regulations governing the production of GM crops.
He said it was "emotional blackmail" to justify the production of GM crops on the grounds that they could put an end to famine. Environmental campaigners welcomed the prince's stance.