Worries over food rules

As the Genetic Technology Bill races unhindered through parliament, the potentially seismic consequences to the UK food industry from this contentious policy are simply being ignored.

This deeply troubling bill removes any labelling and traceability requirements for a hypothetical sub-class of GMO, the so-called ‘precision bred organism’ (PBO). These exempted organisms will effectively be hidden in the food system.

The Regulatory Policy Committee has already raised a red flag, stating that the bill fails to consider the impact of creating a new class of GMO. Let’s be absolutely clear-eyed that in its present form this bill will fail businesses; it will fail consumers; and it will fail the environment.

OF&G believes the Government must urgently make provision to minimise the financial impact to all food businesses by establishing a comprehensive co-existence regime. The worrying alternative is that businesses would need to undertake their own traceability testing. A complex and expensive process adding an estimated cost of around £500,000 pa to SMEs.

Neither does the Bill address the implications to significant export markets, where GMOs are still regulated (including the UK’s devolved nations). If the UK does not make adequate provision to ensure PBOs are identified, critical markets will be lost to UK food businesses.

Hiding GMOs within the food system will have immeasurable long-term consequences on an already reeling UK food industry. It also fails to safeguard our basic right as citizens to make an informed choice about what we consume.

Roger Kerr

Chief executive, Organic Farmers & Growers

A matter of trust

Liz Truss will get a pension for life of £115000,indexed linked to RPI which means next April it will rise by 10.1%, that will be a rise that is greater than the whole pension a state pensioner gets for the year to live on.

What kind of morals do these politicians live by that allows an MP to become prime minister for 44 days destroy the economy then resign and take a pension of £115000 indexed linked to RPI for life and at the same time to be part of a government reviewing whether to pay state pensioners the RPI rise, which all ex-MP pensioners will automatically get, next April even though the triple lock was a manifesto promise which Rishi Sunak broke and the then said he would not touch again.

Politicians said they were trying to build trust with the general public because in the past voter numbers were low because of distrust, well this government has managed to get rid of a prime minister that the public voted for, put in place a prime minister who was not voted for by the public, 44 days later she resigned after total mismanagement and has been replaced by another person the public has not voted for who has previously broke a manifesto promise.

I think in a very short time this government or maybe I should say the conservative party has pushed back any trust the public has in politicians.

Paul Dakin

Record inefficiency

Question....How long does it take WWCC to replace a light bulb....Answer 71 (Seventy one days). That's the length of time it has taken their contractors, to finally change an LED unit in lamp No 0052 on Habberley Lane.

This despite several reports to the Worcestershire Hub, and meetings and enquiries from a local Councillor. This must surely be some kind of inefficiency record, perhaps worthy of a mention in the Guinness Book of Records.

Robin Pearson