A leading Oxfordshire farmer is backing the anti-GM crops stance taken by the county council.

Charles Peers, 66, who runs Views Farm in Great Milton, is a former chairman of the local branch of the National Farmers' Union and has been an organic farmer for more than 20 years.

He is a director and former chairman of Organic Farmers and Growers, a leading green farming organisation which controls organic growing standards.

He said: "The council's stance against the unproven technology of genetically modified foods is welcome and we wholeheartedly support it.

"It is impossible to predict the long-term effects of genetically-modified organisms on soil, crops, wildlife and the animals and people which eat such crops.

"As an organic farmer, I'm particularly concerned about those crops which are grown through to the seeding stage with the probability that they will pollinate nearby wild plants and neighbouring crops. If that were allowed to happen it would be disastrous for organic farmers, who are working to produce wholesome and enviro- nmentally-sustainable food for this country."

The county council executive has promised to take all reasonable steps to ensure the county is free of GM crops, but cannot stop them coming in if the Government decides GM trials can take place in Oxfordshire.