Environment Secretary talking 'nonsense' about GM crops, claims Zac Goldsmith He dismissed Mr Paterson's comments about golden rice as "nonsense," adding: "No serious GM campaigner would ever make those claims for which there is no factual basis at all. It undermines his credibility on this issue and makes the Government look very silly. The Richmond Park MP, who sits on the Government's Environment Audit Committee, also raised questions over Mr Paterson's suitability for the job of Environment Secretary, suggesting he failed to understand the issue of GM. "When designing policy that's a dangerous thing, and I'm concerned big business is framing the debate for the Government," he said. In response, Mr Paterson insisted that the problems the world faced in feeding the global population in four decades" time were "very real" and should be prepared for immediately. We should not ignore what is a "scientifically proven, safe technology" that could help with this, he argued. He added: "There are different opinions on GM. I know and respect that. It's why I wanted to launch a national discussion about the issue, so that people can talk about GM in an informed way.