6 January 2000 TESCO REJECTS VEGETABLES GROWN ON GM-TEST SITES By PA news reporters A leading supermarket chain is instructing its fruit and vegetable suppliers not to grow crops on sites used for testing genetically modified crops, it emerged today. The move by Tesco comes as the Government is proposing GM farm-scale trials for three crop varieties at over 60 sites. Greenpeace immediately claimed it would be a blow to ministerial efforts to find farmers willing to host the GM trials this year and could have implications for the commercial value of agricultural land used for them. But a Cabinet Office spokesman dismissed the Tesco letter as a ``marketing ploy'', which the firm admitted had no basis in science. The latest controversy over GM crops was sparked by the Tesco letter from the company's Cheshunt, Hertfordshire headquarters to 130 field vegetable and salad crop suppliers. It told them: ``We need to be able to assure our customers that no material from GM crop trials could come in contact with our crops. ``Therefore any crop grown for Tesco must not be grown in a field that has been used for GM trial crops.'' Greenpeace executive director, Peter Melchett, said: ``This dramatic move will be welcomed by everyone who shops at Tesco and we warmly congratulate Tesco for taking a lead on this vital environmental issue. ``We expect that every supermarket and food retailer in the UK will now have to follow Tesco's lead. ``Any farmer considering holding a GM field trial on their land now faces the prospect of never being able to sell produce from GM-contaminated land to the largest food retailer in Britain.'' Tesco's new instructions were disclosed today by Peter Melchett speaking from the platform at the Oxford Farming Conference. Alan McLaughlin, spokesman for Tesco told PA News: ``Yes, we are writing to a number of our suppliers because we have been getting questions asking for clarification about what will happen to field sites and crops. ``We are not saying you cannot get involved in a government trial if you supply Tesco. ``We are saying that you cannot plant a Tesco crop in the same field, which to us is common sense.'' He said customers rejected GM ingredients and animal feed ``full stop'' and although knowledgable, remained confused about the issue. What was needed was some scientific fact from the trials, he added. A Cabinet Office spokesman told PA News: ``They have clarified that their letter was directed only at the suppliers of fresh fruit and vegetables and so will not have a significant impact on the farmers involved in GM crop trials which Tesco support.'' Ministers say there is a lack of scientific information on which to base firm decisions about the future of GM crops and the trials are essential. The Government is proposing farm-scale trials for three crop varieties winter oilseed rape planting in September/October, spring oilseed rape, planting in April and forage maize planting in May at over 60 sites. The total potential area covered by the GM farm-scale trails is estimated at 1,700 acres, this year. (c) Press Association Ltd 1999