We are only going to be shooting ourselves in the foot if we don't allow our farmers to test GM crops

Lord Haskins, UK Rural Recovery co-ordinator

He defended GM crops as an important component in future efforts to feed a growing world population.

"These GM trials are taking place and commercial GM activity is taking place in America, in South America, in Australia and in Asia," he said.

"We are only going to be shooting ourselves in the foot if we don't allow our farmers to test them."

Crops to feed humanity: A field test of GM maize

Lord Haskins made the comments in a BBC Wales sponsored lecture to the Cardiff University Regeneration Institute on Wednesday night.

It was the second in a series of public lectures sponsored by the BBC, in association with the Regeneration Institute.

In Wales, the assembly has opposed GM maize trials.

Lord Haskins was also scornful about the potential of organic farming, which the assembly also supports.

However, he did back efforts to subsidise environmentally-friendly farming activity.

Scientific advances

During the lecture, Lord Haskins considered the ongoing food debate, in the light of the world's growing population.

Lord Haskins: Organic farming would lead to a shortage of food

He argued that man's ingenuity - which has resulted in a major increase in food production over the past two centuries - will solve the problem of having to double existing food production in the next 30 years.

He cited advances including progress in animal and plant-breeding science, as well as in the development of fertilisers, fungicides and herbicides.

Lord Haskins argued the future demand can be met in genetic modification raising food outputs to "spectacular heights".

He also felt that satellite technology would squeeze vital improvements from harvests and the elimination of inefficiencies in agricultural industries across the world.