I WAS surprised by the many misconceptions put forward by Mr I G Brown in his letter "Be cautious over GM crops", January 19).

GM crops are now a part of global agricultural systems. Last year, for instance, more than 13 million farmers grew 125 million hectares of them.

They chose GM because practical experience shows time and again that it helps them grow more productively and sustainably, with no shred of evidence to support any greater risk than other forms of food production.

Despite Mr Brown's assertions, in the last decade alone more than two trillion meals containing GM ingredients have been consumed, without a single substantiated example of harm to human or animal health.

Readers have the right to the facts, not a skewed interpretation based on personal opinion. In particular, they should know that GM is not banned in the European Union – far from it. GM crops are both imported and grown in the EU.

Of the animal feed used across Europe, as much as 85 per cent contains GM ingredients imported into the EU. In 2008 more than 100,000 hectares of Bt Maize was grown in seven EU countries, including Spain, Germany and Portugal.

Unfortunately, due to a slow and dysfunctional approval process, only one GM crop has been approved for cultivation in the past 10 years – pest-resistant maize, which is not required by British farmers as it targets pests not yet present on British soils.

It is also untrue to say "British people do not want GM food". Research shows that most consumers do not regard it as a major concern. Food Standards Agency tracker surveys from last year show that only an average of 5 per cent of those questioned expressed unprompted concern about GM food.

Food security is already an issue, and with climate change it is likely to get worse. If we are serious about allowing UK farmers to produce more food at a fair price to consumers while safeguarding our natural resources, they must be given the freedom to choose modern, efficient farming methods based on tried and tested science.

Dr Julian Little

Chairman, Agricultural Biotechnology Council

Novel way of heating

I RECENTLY read that pensioners are buying second-hand hardback books to burn in fires and stoves. Librarians must be biting their fingernails down to the quick at the thought of all this book-burning.

But is it surprising, when a 20kg bag of coal can cost £5, with gas bills and electricity prices rising 40 per cent and 20 per cent respectively since the start of 2008? I am told a 500g book can sell for as little as 5p, and a large hardback volume can last all night – a book at bedtime takes on a whole new meaning.

In parallel to all this, the Government intends to spend billions on offshore wind farms. Now that should truly give everyone a warm glow.

Dave Haskell

Boncath, Pembrokeshire

Surefire vote-losers

I HAVE followed the pro- and anti-hunting debate in your letters columns – and in the unlikely event that the Tories win the next election they would be advised to refrain from repealing the Act, because if they lose power in 2014/2015 they could face a much bolder anti-hunt Bill, perhaps including shooting and fishing.

Having possibly upset Tory victory plans, I turn to the Government, which would be wise to drop its "Tory toff" class campaign, which will be detrimental to its election hopes.

Whatever one's view of hunting, it has been considerably cleaned up – and, to judge from local hunts, is even more popular, with bigger crowds witnessing this great tradition.

It is amusing that some still feel it is cruel – is it the aniseed trails the hunts follow? Perhaps substituting sherbet dabs may make it less cruel.

As for the election, a hung Parliament may be in the offing, but if the economy improves before polling day it's Labour by 18 seats, despite its attempts to wreck our rural economy.

Tony Russell

Ottery St Mary

Why not wholemeal?

SIMPLY as a question of botanical interest, after reading the January 18 article by nutritionist Julie Sargent, which mentioned the grain called spelt, I consulted a dictionary of 1867 I possess.

It defines spelt as "a species of grain, the Tricicum spelt, much cultivated for food in Germany, also called German wheat". It also defines wheat as "the common name of plants of the genus Triticum... next to rice, is the grain most generally used by the human race".

Since both spelt and wholemeal wheat flour are varieties of the botanical genus Triticum, it seems probable that wholemeal wheat flour is equally nutritious – and likely to be cheaper and easier to obtain.

Mary Jones

Sidmouth

Market resistance

ACCORDING to your paper and other media, house prices are on the rise due to shortages of properties on the market.

Can anyone tell me, if this is so, why my 17th century detached three-bedroom character cottage between Newton Abbot and Torquay isn't selling? It has been on the market for over a year and so far has had no viewers, even though the price has been reduced twice.

Name and address supplied