EXTRACT: "The county council should not be spending GBP1m of taxpayers' money on a project that will lead to GM applications when GM is unpopular and environmentally dangerous."
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Science centre could be used to GM crops
DAN GRIMMER
Evening News (Norwich, UK), 17 October 2008
http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=ENOnline&category=News&tBrand=ENOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED16%20Oct%202008%2018%3A03%3A13%3A020

*New science centre to be built at Norwich Research Park could genetically modify crops.

Scientists have admitted that research conducted at a cutting edge science centre proposed for the edge of Norwich could be used to genetically modify crops.

Up to 700 new jobs could be created if the GBP13.5m Genome Analysis Centre is built at Norwich Research Park, but campaigners had been querying what exactly the science would involve.

An independent study suggested up to 700 new jobs could be created by the centre, with spin-off companies setting up to be close to the experts behind the centre's cutting edge research to analyse the genetic make-up of plants, fish and animals.

And the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), which is keen to see the centre based in Norwich, today confirmed the research could have applications in genetic modification - a hugely sensitive technology.

A spokeswoman for the BBSRC said: "GAC would be a genome centre - this means it is a centralised resource that uses large-scale sequencing, computing and analysis of genes in order to provide data about what genes are present and what they do; and to enable similarities and differences in species to be identified.

"The outputs or 'products' of the centre would be information that may be used in a wide variety of applications including traditional crop and livestock breeding, analysis of biodiversity, and for example in identifying varieties of plants that are more resistant to disease or suitable for organic production, as well as potential application in plant biotechnology including GM."

Steve Morphew, leader of Norwich City Council, said that it came as "no surprise" that research at the centre could be used to genetically modify crops.

Adrian Ramsay, Green Party city councillor and parliamentary candidate for Norwich South, however, said it was a "concern".

He said: "Some of the work in the proposed centre could be beneficial but I am concerned to hear that a large proportion of the research will be GM-related.

"The county council should not be spending GBP1m of taxpayers' money on a project that will lead to GM applications when GM is unpopular and environmentally dangerous."

Dr Ian Gibson, Norwich North MP, said there was a need for researchers to be open about what they were doing.

He said: "The GM issue is raising its head again and I still think people will only accept the crops if we can explain to them seriously the advantages of them.

"There has to be a dialogue which commences early before decisions are made. There's no point trying to be secretive and non-transparent."

Earlier this week Norfolk County Council stalled on handing over GBP1m towards the GBP13.5m Genome Analysis Centre, because County Hall is at risk of losing millions of pounds invested in Icelandic banks.

Although councillors welcomed the potential of the centre, the council held off on committing the cash to it because of uncertainty over GBP32.5m of council savings at risk in Icelandic banks.

Brian Iles, cabinet member for economic development, said at the council meeting that the public had been consulted over the council's economic strategy, which included the need to support the knowledge economy in Norwich, and said his understanding was that the focus would be on genomics, which is a different discipline to genetic modification.

Meanwhile, South Norfolk Council, which is also being asked to contribute to funding for the centre will make a decision on whether it will at a meeting of its cabinet on Monday .

The decision will be made behind closed doors, but officers are recommending that a conditional grant is made.