Parliament Workbench
Data: Motions & questions to 19 Nov 2026

Written Question · S2W-06792 · Session 2

Whether the farm scale evaluation gives a true indication of any environmental harm caused by Chardon LL mai'e, in light of the conclusions…

Answered Asked by Mark Ruskell Green Lodged 5 Mar 2004

The question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the farm scale evaluation gives a true indication of any environmental harm caused by Chardon LL mai'e, in light of the conclusions of the recent report of the Westminster Environmental Audit Committee GM Food
- Evaluating the field scale trials.

The answer

Answered by Allan Wilson on 25 Mar 2004 · 20 days after it was lodged, 6 days after it was due

The Scottish Executive, the Science Review, and the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment(ACRE) are all satisfied that the methods used in the farm scale trials forboth design and analysis were valid and robust. They are the most extensive andthorough evaluations of their kind in the world, and gave a clear picture of the changes in biodiversity caused by different herbicide regimes used on geneticallymodified (GM) and conventional crops, including maize.
ACRE recommended that studies were initiated to considerthe validity of the results in light of the phasing out of Atrazine. Furtheranalysis of the farm scale evaluation (FSE) data has been published in the peerreviewed scientific journal Nature. This work concludes that the banning of Atrazine is unlikely to undermine theconclusions of the FSEs.

In the Official Report

No contribution in the Official Report cites S2W-06792 by reference.