Members of the public and supporters of H&I GM Concern packed into the council chamber at Highland Council yesterday to hear evidence presented to the government's Agriculture, Environment & Biotechnology Commission (AEBC).

Evidence presented to the Commission by Highland Council leaders and the community based Highlands & Islands GM Concern highlighted the unacceptability of the GM crop trial at Munlochy, on the basis of the harm which it may cause to the environmental quality and agricultural economy of the Highlands. There was also strong criticism of the lack of consultation and denial of local democracy surrounding the decision to give the go ahead for the trial by Lib Dem Rural Affairs Minister, Ross Finnie.

Community concerns about the GM trial were also backed up by calls from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). SEPA and SNH each made representations to the AEBC group which drew attention to the deficiencies of the current regulatory and monitoring arrangements for the crop trial, and highlighted the failure of the Scottish Executive to consult on the full range of wildlife and water quality issues arising from the trial.

Failure of the scientific assessment of the crop trial to look wildlife impacts beyond the margins of the trial field, lack of scrutiny of the effects of the trial crop on beneficial fungi or decomposer organisms in the soil, and failure to include any gene flow studies in the Munlochy trial were cited by North SNH boss Jeff Watson as unacceptable gaps in the science of the trial. He also stressed that SNH considered that there was need for more transparency and consultation in the approval process to take account of the legitimate anxiety within the Highland community about the potential impact of GM crops on our high environmental quality

Dr Tom Inglis, for SEPA, criticised the failure of the Scottish Executive to consult with their own advisers on pollution and water quality prior to giving permission for the trial. As environment watchdog his organisation would have liked the chance to recommended additional water quality testing, to check the effects of herbicide run off on the aquatic environment, and he felt that this monitoring should be paid for by Aventis the company seeking approval for the GM crop. He was particularly critical of the failure of the trial approval process to follow the conditions laid down by the Government's Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment in respect of site selection conditions relating to the application of glufosinate, a herbicide previously unapproved for winter application due to concerns over its water quality and ecological impact.

Speaking after the meeting Andrew Thompson, Campaign Co-ordinator for H&I GM Concern welcomed the belated intervention of SNH and SEPA. Mr Thompson pointed out that the evidence presented to the Commission by Dr Jeff Watson of SNH and Dr Tom Inglis of SEPA completely vindicated the GM Concern group's claim that the so-called scientific monitoring being done as part of the crop trial was completely inadequate to have any chance of assessing the real impact of the crop or its herbicide regime on water quality and the natural environment. He went on to say that, "claims that these trials have any scientific worth or credibility have been completely rubbished by the evidence presented today by the government's own environment watchdogs. It is quite shameful that these GM crop trials are being sold to the public as a necessary scientific investigation to check their effects on wildlife and the environment, when if fact it is now clear that they are simply an exercise in trying to get the public to accept that GM crops are already a fait accompli."

The GM Concern group believe in the light of all the evidence now available, that the Scottish Executive approval of a GM trial in the Highlands is completely indefensible. They are calling once again on Ross Finnie to use the powers he has under the EC regulations to protect the fragile agricultural economy and environment of the Highlands by suspending the trial before the crop flowers. They also hope that the evidence presented to AEBC will result in a strong recommendation from the group back to the Westminster government that the current regulations governing GM releases are deeply flawed and should be changed to allow local democracy in the decision making over proposed future releases.

The group believe that the Scottish Parliament and the Liberal Democrats in particular have completely failed the Highlands to date on this issue. Speaking about their decision to redirect their campaign efforts through Westminster channels Mr Thompson said, " it is quite obvious that the decisions affecting GM policy are being taken at Westminster. Despite the fact that both agriculture and the environment are devolved matters the Scottish Parliament have not debated whether GM crops might be good or bad for the Highlands, or any other part of Scotland. We believe that Ross Finnie is a complete waste of space as a Rural Affairs Minister, and that he has betrayed agriculture and rural communities within the Highlands by his meek acceptance of New Labour policies, which so threaten the fabric of rural communities." In the run up to the Westminster election the group intend to make the Munlochy crop trial and the drive for a GM free Scotland a campaign issue. This is seen as the best way of exposing the tensions which exist between Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy, who has supported calls for tighter GM regulation, and the Lib Dems in the Scottish Executive coalition, who must soon come to be an embarrassment to their party leader.

GM Farmer Jamie Grant (left) and Aventis rep Paul Rylott (centre) with a Highland Council employee at the end of the morning session of the AEBC's fact finding visit, during which the trials were condemned by Highland Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Highlands & Islands GM Concern and Highlands & Islands Organic Association.

What happened next? Watch this space...it's juicy but sub judice !