Protecting field trials of genetically modified crops from vandalism has become the largest cost for U.K. scientists studying the organisms. A Leeds University scientist said one trial that cost £25,000 had a “six-figure” bill for security. Activists have vandalized numerous trials, prompting officials to install 24-hour security and fences at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany. There has been a steep drop in GM trials in the U.K., said a researcher at Reading University, with only a single application last year, while there are about 1,000 trials a year in the U.S. GM crops are widespread in North and South America but face resistance in Britain, where concerns of food safety and environmental impact fuel an ongoing debate.
GM Crop Researchers in Britain Complain About High Security Costs
More From E360
-
INTERVIEW
Marina Silva on Brazil’s Fight to Turn the Tide on Deforestation
-
Solutions
Solomon Islands Tribes Sell Carbon Credits, Not Their Trees
-
INTERVIEW
With Sea Turtles in Peril, a Call for New Strategies to Save Them
-
RIVERS
Jared Kushner Has Big Plans for Delta of Europe’s Last Wild River
-
Energy
A Nuclear Power Revival Is Sparking a Surge in Uranium Mining
-
OPINION
Despite Official Vote, the Evidence of the Anthropocene Is Clear
-
INTERVIEW
At 11,500 Feet, a ‘Climate Fast’ to Save the Melting Himalaya
-
Oceans
Octopuses Are Highly Intelligent. Should They Be Farmed for Food?
-
Climate
Nations Are Undercounting Emissions, Putting UN Goals at Risk
-
Solutions
As Carbon Air Capture Ramps Up, Major Hurdles Remain
-
ANALYSIS
How China Became the World’s Leader on Renewable Energy
-
Biodiversity
As Flooding Increases on the Mississippi, Forests Are Drowning