The Church of England national investing bodies will actively use their position as investors to encourage a precautionary approach to genetic modification (GM), having adopted an updated and more detailed ethical investment policy on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). 

The policy, on the advice of the Church’s Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG), allows for investment in companies developing and marketing GMOs where there is satisfactory assurance on, and confidence in, ethical standards.  Agricultural land and timberland will have to pass GM due diligence tests to be included in investments.  The conduct of GM field trials on land owned by the national investing bodies would be inconsistent with the policy. 

James Featherby, Chair of the EIAG, said: “There is no single Christian perspective on genetic modification.  The EIAG recognises the potential benefits of responsibly conducted GM such as pest resistance, vitamin supply, and improved resilience to drought, frost and saline conditions. 

“We are also conscious that genetic modification represents a paradigm shift in plant and animal breeding and that there remain uncertainties about the effects of the application of the technology. 

“The EIAG concluded that it is important that the investment practice of the national investing bodies should be consistent with a careful and precautionary approach to genetic modification.” 

The policy sets down detailed guidelines on how the investing bodies should judge whether a company developing and marketing GMOs is operating in an ethically appropriate and duly precautionary way. 

It also sets out detailed guidelines for decision-making on exposure to GMOs through agricultural land and timberland. 

The Church Commissioners are significant landowners in the UK.  However, the European Union and its member states continue to take a restrictive approach to genetic modification, and there is no commercial planting of genetically modified crops in the UK. 

In 2000, the EIAG advised the Commissioners (and other Church landowners, such as dioceses) against approving GM trials on their farmland.  The updated policy announced today advises that the cultivation of GM crops on land owned by the national investing bodies should be restricted to ‘well established GMOs that are broadly accepted in the country concerned’. 

Further information from:

Steve Jenkins                tel 020 7898 1326  

Notes for Editors:

Ethical investment policies are published at: 
http://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/structure/eiag/ethical-investment-policies.aspx

The policy on GMOs is at:
http://www.churchofengland.org/media/1670795/gmos%20feb%202013.pdf . 

The Church of England Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG) makes recommendations on ethical investment policy to the Church of England's three national investing bodies.  These are the Church Commissioners for England, the Church of England Pensions Board and the CBF Church of England Funds managed by CCLA.  Together they hold assets in excess of £8bn.  For further information visitwww.churchofengland.org/about-us/structure/eiag

The EIAG includes representation from the General Synod, the Archbishops’ Council and the Council for Mission and Public Affairs as well as the investing bodies.

The EIAG has no investment powers of its own but acts in a wholly advisory capacity.  It is the responsibility of the Trustees of each separately constituted investment body to decide whether to implement the advice given. 

Ethical standards for GM companies

The EIAG recommends that engagement with companies developing and marketing GMOs should seek to establish that a company:

• Approaches GM with good purpose and seeks to develop products that serve the common good
• Operates within an ethical framework, trains staff on it and has strong compliance systems
• Communicates and discloses its activities transparently, including any ‘negative’ research
• Monitors carefully scientific research on potential risks associated with GM
• Monitors carefully the environmental impact of its products (e.g. instances of herbicide-resistant weeds, pest mutation, increases of secondary pests, effects on non-target insects, biodiversity loss and gene transfer)
• Monitors carefully the health impacts of its products (e.g. allergenic)
•  Has contingency plans and acts on evidence of potential problems quickly, responsibly and openly (e.g. withdrawing a GM seed)
• Respects the right of farmers to pursue organic farming if they wish
• Respects the right of farmers to have access to both GM and non-GM seeds
• Exercises patenting power responsibly
• If it markets in the developing world, approaches its relationships with farmers with sensitivity, avoids creating relationships of dependency and exploitation, and develops a product range that includes products targeted on the needs of smallholder farmers
• Conducts trials in a neighbourly fashion
• Interacts constructively with governments seeking to develop appropriate legislation and regulations
• If it markets or wishes to market in the developing world, helps less expert and poorly resourced governments to develop appropriate legislation and regulations
• Is sensitive to public opinion (including on labelling), open about the positions it takes on public policy issues and discloses its lobbying activities; and
• Complies with local legislation and regulations.

Ethical standards for agriculture

The EIAG recommends that due diligence before the purchase of agricultural land should ensure that any farming involving GMOs:

• Involves well established GMOs that are broadly accepted in the country concerned
• Is neighbourly, transparent and not a matter of serious and ongoing local dispute
• Is part of a diverse mix of farming rather than mono-cropping
• Complies with local legislation and regulations, and has a history of doing so; and
• Is monitored by agents who have instructions on how to act if problems associated with GMO farming arise.