Global hotel chains, with two million rooms between them, are involved in programmes to implement higher environmental standards. The Prince called for research into the real nutritional quality of food grown intensively, and the costs of possible side-effects of chemical farming. I am not convinced that anyone has the first idea of how this could be done, or indeed who would have to pay. In December 1998, The Prince of Wales made genetically modified food as the subject of the first Online Forum on his official website, launched the previous month. Calling for a public debate, The Prince expressed his concerns about the effects on the environment as well as human health of planting GM crops.
Pollen is spread by the wind and by insects.
GM crops can contaminate conventional and organic crops growing nearby. This cannot be right. The GM forum attracted more than ten thousand responses, emailed from around the world, with the vast majority supporting The Prince's view. Some of the woodlands of the Duchy of Cornwall , the estate which provides the income of the heir to the throne, have been converted to sustainable forestry with independent certification. The Prince of Wales makes regular visits to see for himself projects which benefit the environment in a number of ways, including the encouragement of wildlife.