Most voters hold "cautious, suspicious or outrightly hostile" views against genetically modified crops, a government consultation has found.

Published on Wednesday, the report said that those who took part in the "GM Nation?" debate were generally uneasy about the technology.

The report added that these reservations intensified as people looked further into the issues involved.

The study found little support for the early commercialisation of GM crops.

It also highlighted widespread public mistrust of the government and companies associated with GM.

Only two per cent of those questioned said they would be willing to eat GM foods.

"This was an innovative exercise around a complicated issue, and it has provoked a remarkable evel of response," said Professor Malcolm Grant, chairman of the independent steering group which led the consultation.

"The debate gathered force week by week. There were hundreds of meetings across the country, ranging from small gatherings in village halls and upstairs rooms in pubs to large conferences of several hundred people in towns and cities.

"People have used the debate briefing material and the website and more than 37,000 people registered their views with us. We are very grateful to everyone who took part.

"We promised to report the voices and the views we heard in the debate to government. This we have done.

"It is a report from an independent steering board and it does not attempt to judge the public's views."

Environment secretary Margaret Beckett pledged to "reflect carefully" on the report's conclusions.

"This debate was a new way of engaging the public in the policy-making process," she said.

"Government provided the funding, and we demonstrated our good faith by appointing an independent steering board to manage the whole process.

"I will reflect carefully on the findings of today's report, along with those of the science review and our costs and benefits study, before publishing our response.

"We said that we will listen, and we will."

The Conservatives called for the decision to be based upon the results of government trials of GM.

"This report shows that the public want impartial information about GM crops, but they don't trust minister's to provide it," said shadow environment secretary David Lidington.

"Leaked Whitehall papers showing that minister's have decided to press ahead with GM before seeing all the scientific evidence will only worsen public unease.

"We need to see the results of the commercial crop trials so that evidence then needs to be subjected to independent scientific review and public debate.

"Government decisions on GM crops must be based on sound science and not political spin."