PRESSURE is being applied to have Worcestershire declared a GM-free zone.

Members of the Green Party will present a 1,000-signature petition to Worcestershire County Council on Thursday, January 15, calling on it to declare the county free from genetically modified produce.

The petition will be presented at a meeting of the council in Spetchley Hall, by Malvern resident Chris Lennard, co-ordinator of the GM-Free Worcestershire campaign.

Together with other local Green Party members, Mr Lennard has visited Evesham, Kidderminster, Malvern, Pershore, Redditch and Worcester to ask local people about genetic modification of crops and food and to collect signatures.

The petition asks that the council adopts a GM-free policy for all goods and services for which it is responsible, to ensure that no GM crops are grown on land over which it has control and to request that the secretary of state for agriculture provides legal protection for Worcestershire as a GM-free area, in line with European legislation.

More than 30 local authorities have now declared themselves GM-free, including Shropshire and Warwickshire county councils.

Mr Lennard said: "We found no hesitation among local people in signing up to this petition.

"There is widespread concern about possible health and environmental effects of GM foods. The other worry for people was the possibility of local farmers, both conventional and organic, going out of business if their crops become contaminated by GM."

The petition will be presented at the start of the meeting at 10am.