6) Rothamsted Institute for Arable and Crop Research

Report by Malcolm Hockham, former employee.

I left Rothamsted in 1998. I was looking to move anyway, however not at that particular time, but events overtook me somewhat.

I grew a lot of transgenic plants during the 8 years I worked there as a horticulturalist, however I was never very happy with the safety regulations concerning these plants. Staff received no training in their care or the consequences regarding pollen escape etc.

This was brought to a head with an experiment by Tanja Schuler involving "Greensleeves" apple trees which were modified with a gene from the cow pea, I believe to stop apples going brown! These were under class A containment and I was assured that any flowers would be removed in bud and that they would be kept insect proof - this did not happen. They were put into glasshouse 27, a run down small glasshouse with masses of gaps between the glass panes of between 1-3cm wide. It was not even possible to water the plants without leaving the door open as the hosepipe was sited OUTSIDE the glasshouse. When this was pointed out sticky tape was placed over the gaps, but not all. Nothing was done about the watering. Later after I continued to make a fuss the trees were moved but it should be noted they did on two occasions flower so I can only assume the pollen got out.

What was more worrying was management's reaction. My letters to the bio hazards committee were ignored as they were not prepared to talk about the matter until I went eventually to the director, then a compliance review was established (whatever that is!). I asked for it's conclusions over a two month period to no avail, in fact I was eventually told I had done my part and it should be left to them and they reminded me of my employment contract! After this I threatened the press and they offered me a nice little package to leave knowing I would have liked redundancy anyway as I wanted to move. I took the money and left.  

There was another probably more serious occasion when I found flowering GM oilseed rape thrown onto a huge compost heap. It had already started to root into the heap and was starting to set seed. At the time I didn't really bother - I knew little about it. Now I am ashamed to have been a part of such slapdash and dangerous experiments.

Rothamsted has some wonderful people doing fine and excellent useful work, but a lot of wasters who are only interested in the career structure and promotion.

I was once asked to double the quantity of a pesticide as the aphids were becoming resistant to it. This is illegal so I asked for the request in writing. It didn't arrive, but my relationship with that scientist was never the same again. To many at Rothamsted the science there is a big game made even more enjoyable by the almost party atmosphere that exists amongst much of the younger staff, I had my eyes opened wide to the morality and competence of many scientists who previously I would have looked upon in awe, that was a real shock and it lead me to conclude that if GM is the biggest banana skin to face mankind, there's an awful lot of monkeys with their fingers in the fruit bowl.

I am very disillusioned as I was not able to get my complaints across with any sort of constructive response, I fear for the environment and its ecology (especially around Harpenden!) and I feel angry at the beaurocracy and red tape in the line management structure at Rothamsted which goes on and on till it disappears up it's own arse.

SACK GM RESEARCH SCIENTISTS!   FOE press release15.3.00

One of the scientists carrying out controversial research for the Government on the safety of genetically modified (GM) crops is also being paid by the biotechnology industry to make the case for GM crops. Dr Peter Lutman works at the Institute of Arable Crops Research (IACR), part of a consortium of research groups carrying out Government work on farm-scale trials. The consortium has contracts worth £3.3 million with the Government for this work. Dr Lutman is a co-author of a report to the Government on progress on the trials.

Dr Lutman is also at the heart of CropGen, a new initiative launched by the biotechnology industry to make the case for GM crops. Two other scientists from IACR, Dr Nigel Halford and Dr Guy Poppy, are also part of CropGen. CropGen have confirmed to Friends of the Earth that scientists on the CropGen panel are paid honoraria for their work as panel members.

Friends of the Earth's Food Campaigner, Pete Riley said: "This is absolutely outrageous. IACR seems to be happy that their scientists are paid by the biotech industry to make the case for GM crops, while they are working on supposedly neutral scientific studies on the subject for the Government. This simply deprives IACR's work on the farm-scale trials of any credibility. The Government must act fast to sack these scientists and their research institute from the already tarnished farm-scale trials."

NOTE  Dr Peter Lutman, Head of Research Programme Weed Biology and Control at Rothamsted, had agreed to speak at the Hemel GM debate with Mae Wan Ho but chickened out!

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