Scientists have launched trial crops of genetically modified (GM) wheat, adjusted to repel aphids. Researchers at the Rothamsted Research station in Hertfordshire, England, have billed the strain as ‘eco-friendly GM’, but sceptics are unconvinced.
‘This GM wheat contains the first synthetic copy of an animal gene,’ says Anna Thompson of the Community Food Growers Network. ‘Scientists describe it as “most similar to one found in cows”. We believe genes like these should not be used in a food crop without a full public consultation.’
