GM crops 'not key to food crisis'

Green groups reacted angrily to comments by Environment Minister Phil Woolas that there was "a growing question of whether GM crops can help the developing world out of the current food price crisis".

Friends of the Earth said the Government had been seriously misled if it thought GM crops were going to stop the food crisis, as they did not increase yield or tackle hunger or poverty.

And Greenpeace accused the biotech industry of "abusing the misery of millions of hungry people" by trying to promote its products as a solution to rising food prices.

The new row over GM's role in tackling hunger came as details of an upcoming report into the indirect impacts of biofuels were leaked to the Guardian, suggesting "green" fuels have played a significant part in driving up global food prices.

Environmentalists and aid agencies have warned of the impact on the world's poor of rising food prices, caused in part by biofuels which can compete with food for land - but have said GM is not the answer to the crisis.

According to reports, Mr Woolas held talks on Wednesday with the Agricultural Biotechnology Council, an umbrella group formed in 2000 to promote the role of biotechnology in agriculture.

And he told The Independent: "There is a growing question of whether GM crops can help the developing world out of the current food price crisis.

"It is a question that we as a nation need to ask ourselves. The debate is already under way.

"Many people concerned about poverty in the developing world and the environment are wrestling with this issue."