A farm in north Essex has been chosen as part of the Government's trial for growing GM crops.

Seawick at St Osyth is on the latest list of sites for a scientific programme of farm-scale evaluations to look into the potential effects on the natural environment of growing such crops.

The farm was the only one in Essex to be announced by environment minister Michael Meacher today.

The list follows a meeting of the independent scientific steering committee which advised sufficient sites were available for the programme to go ahead this year and ensure a properly balanced scientific assessment to be made.

Seawick has been chosen as one of 13 to grow oil seed rape hybrid line containing the transformation event.

It will then be compared with conventional varieties of spring sown oil seed rape.

The farm has been selected as suitable by independent researchers and where farmers and industry have reached an agreement to carry out the growing of such crops.

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