We oppose GM crops because the technology is unpredictable, imprecise and irretrievable.

The fundamental environmental safety issues remain unresolved for golden rice' just as for any other GM organism. We and others also oppose it for specific reasons: nutritionists say that it won't solve vitamin A deficiency because the absence of fat in diet of the poor won't allow the uptake of pro-vitamin A in the rice. We believe it is based on unsound nutritional science - a genetic engineer's approach to hunger. The only function that GM crops such as golden rice can be guaranteed to  perform is to divert attention and resources from the challenge of creating a genuinely sustainable future for agriculture in both the developed and developing worlds. A technical fix' to economic and social problems such as poverty is no solution.

Charlie Kronick, Greenpeace UK