They have been using antibiotics successfully for the past forty years to treat a common disease in bees and are very suspect that GM may be involved. Last month New Scientist reported how cheap and easy it is to make bioweapons. Researchers in Australia reported a genetic accident in their laboratory in which a killer virus emerged during routine genetic engineering experiments. It transpires this is not the first time this has happened, several other groups have published similar findings. Picking and mixing infectious genetic elements can be a very dangerous business.
Species barriers are there for a very good reason.
The risks posed by GM far out weight the benefits. In fact there are no benefits to speak of. 8,000 independent university based trials in the United States revealed that herbicide resistant GM crops suffer a yield drag and actually require 2-5 times more herbicide. Our government is impaled on the GM debate due to bad science and rushed decisions taken early in the process. I urge you to invoke the precautionary principle and call for the Highlands to become a GM free zone.