Insurers are unwilling to offer cover for farmers growing GM crops, according to a report by independent farmers' group, Farm. GM crops had been compared to terrorism, thalidomide and asbestos as a potential risk, said Farm.
Farm also said farmers seeking insurance to cover possible contamination by GM crops would also be unable to find cover.
Farm said Rural Insurance Group, a Lloyd's underwriter, had placed GM crops in the same bracket as "acts of terrorism".
Farm said it contacted five main underwriters for agriculture insurance in the UK about their policies relating to GM crops.
According to Farm, one underwriter said: "The worry is that GM could be like thalidomide - only after some time would the full extent of the problems be seen."
The underwriters contacted in the report said they knew too little about the potential long-term effects on humans and so were unwilling to provide cover, said Farm.
The Agricultural Insurance Underwriters Agency, Rural Insurance Group, BIB Underwriters limited and NFU Mutual all have exclusion clauses for liability claims relating GM crops, according to farm.
According to Farm, BIB gave reasons including arson or vandalism due to anti-GM protests, alongside problems of cross contamination for refusing to cover GM crops.
