To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence he has obtained that contact with some genetically modified crops could lead to antibiotic resistance in humans; and if he will make a statement. [82628]

There is no evidence that contact with genetically modified (GM) crops will lead to antibiotic resistance in humans. The Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes rigorously assesses each application for a GM food before it is allowed onto the market. As part of this assessment, it looks very carefully at the use of antibiotic markers and recommends against approval in those circumstances where it considers that there is a finite risk that their use might give rise to an increase in resistance against clinically important antibiotics.