Call to develop GM 'terminator' genes should be developed

Genetically modified (GM) crops with terminator genes, which will be unable to flower or reproduce without being "switched on", should be developed further by scientists, a committee of senior government advisers is torecommend.

Genetically modified (GM) crops with terminator genes, which will be unable to flower or reproduce without being "switched on", should be developed further by scientists, a committee of senior government advisers is torecommend.

The controversial advice, from the Department of the Environment's expert body on GM crops, will infuriate environmental groups who claim plants with "junkie genes" should be banned.

The report, to be published later this month, will suggest that there should be more research into "terminator" style technology.It will say that the potential of the technology has not yet been fully explored and is still in its infancy.

The government advisers also want scientists to do further work to create infertile crops to stop them reproducing themselves.

The report by the sub-group on Best Practice in GM Crop Design, part of the Advisory Committee on Releases into the Environment, will argue that such technology has great potential to protect the environment and stop the creation of cross-breed crops.

But Friends of the Earth said that the extension of such "discredited technology" would create huge dangers for the environment and risk making farmers reliant on companies such as Monsanto to "switch on" infertile crops with the use of chemicals. It said that there was no guarantee that the genes affecting plants' ability to reproduce would not spread to ordinary crops.

"I think these advisers are very naive to suggest advancing this kind of technology. This is inherently dangerous because it passes power from farmers to the companies," said a spokesman for the environmental group, Adrian Bebb.

But a Whitehall source said the committee was considering the technology's potential for biosafety. "They are interested because it could restrict gene transfer to native species."