In pugnacious mood a farmer told BBC news this morning how he had planted GM's in Wales. He claimed he had not acted illegally.
Farmer Jonathan Harrington has been secretly planting and harvesting two varieties of genetically modified maize on his own land within the Brecon Beacons,-a National Park and protected area.
In 2000 the Welsh Assembly voted to keep Wales a GM free zone.
Mr Harrington said he had been trying to influence the Assembly government's policy on GM's for many years, without success. Consequently he has decided to break the law, saying.."But I wanted to make the point that we should welcome GM crop technology and that Wales could not be described as a crop free zone".
An Assembly government spokeswoman explained that..."However we cannot legally ban GM crops in Wales because we have to work within a European legal framework. Our policy is to take a precautionary and restrictive GM crop policy stance which is in line with our commitment to sustainable agriculture....Anyone growing a GM crop in Wales would need to comply with all relevant legislation. A grower would be required by law to retain documentation for a period of five years, would have to detail the operator providing the product and who the product was sold to."
