GREEN campaigners say people in Kent have been deprived of the chance to have their say during the Government’s nation-wide debate on genetically modified foods.

Kent residents worried about GM crops and foods could have attended one of six regional public meetings arranged by the Government – but only if they had been prepared to travel to either Birmingham, the West Country, Wales or Scotland.

Opponents of GM foods have accused the Department of Agriculture of deliberately staging its public meetings, which started this week and end on June 13, away from areas where public opinion could be hostile.

The public meetings are a key part of an initiative called “GM Nation”, aimed at encouraging a national public debate on the issue.

GM crop trials are taking place in Kent at Ivy Church and High Halden, as part of the Government’s assessment of the potential contamination risks.

Kent Green activist Stephen Dawe said: “The fact they have arranged meetings in places like Wales and the north of the country seems designed to keep the debate away from those areas where the agricultural production of GM crops might take place.

“Kent has the highest percentages of Grade One agricultural land and are clearly a target for future GM production but we are given no opportunity to debate it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kent Green MEP Dr Caroline Lucas has warned the organic farming industry could end if the commercial planting of genetically modified crops is allowed.

Dr Caroline Lucas said extensive GM planting would inevitably “wipe out” organic farming because industry standards prevent food which contain even just traces of GM crops from being marketed as organic.

Dr Lucas said even conventional farmers faced problems, with the likelihood they would have to label contaminated products.

“But organic farmers face the nightmare scenario of having to close down their business entirely. Once the cat is out of the bag, there’s nothing anyone can do to put it back and that can only mean the end of organic farming,” she said.

Her comments were made at a Brussels conference addressing the issue of how to regulate GM crops.