US policy on aid is 'wicked' - Meacher

Forcing starving countries to accept genetically modified (GM) food in aid is "wicked", Michael Meacher, the environment minister, said late last week. He called for "anger to be harnessed" against the policy, which is being vigorously pushed by the United States government.

Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and other southern African countries have refused to accept GM food from the US even though some 12 million people in the region are threatened with famine.

The US , for its part, refused to supply the non-GM grain they requested. Top American officials claim that Americans were eating GM food without ill-effects. One said: "Beggars can't be choosers."

But the African governments say the effects of GM food on health are unknown. They add that poor farmers would be bound to plant GM grain to grow new crops, and would no longer be able to export produce to Europe.

Mr Meacher has been told by experts that plenty of non-GM food is available. He told a meeting last week: "It is wicked, when there is such an excess of non-GM food aid available, for GM to be forced on countries for reasons of GM politics. If there is an area where anger needs to be harnessed, it is here."

Meanwhile Dr Tewolde Egziabher, the manager of Ethiopia's Environmental Protection Authority and one of the Third World's leading authorities on GM food, accused the US of "using the famine to push" GM food. Ethiopia is also facing famine, with 14 million people at risk. He said that his country would not accept GM food aid unless it was milled to prevent it being planted.