Environmental campaigners have reacted angrily to claims that the first GM crops will be licensed next week.

Cabinet committee papers leaked to the BBC on Thursday revealed ministers are set to back commercial GM maize crops to be grown.

The minutes of a meeting eight days ago between environment secretary Margaret Beckett and foreign secretary Jack Straw indicated that the government is prepared to go ahead despite acknowledging widespread public concerns.

"The public was unlikely to be receptive," the notes revealed.

Echoing the prime minister's support for GM crops, the notes claim ministers viewed a ban on GM crops as an easy way out and wanted to encourage UK scientific research.

"Opposition might eventually be worn down by solid, authoritative scientific argument," the document said.

No verdict

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs dismissed the story, claiming no final verdict had been reached.

"There's going to be no announcement next week. Ministers are still discussing the policy statement and haven't reached a final decision yet," said a spokesman.

The notes also revealed that before any decision was announced in the Commons MPs that back GM crops would be encouraged to brief the press.

"There was a merit in preparing the ground with key MPs, particularly those with an interest in science or food security in developing countries," it said.

The issue has proved to be very difficult for the government as public opinion has failed to be won over.

Trials by the government concluded some GM crops could harm the environment and several of the big supermarket chains have opted for GM-free produce.

When crops growing is given the green light, it will be with strict conditions.

The first to be grown is likely to be Bayer maize which performed strongly in the official trials.

Consultation

News of the possible decision brought a sceptical response from the Conservatives.

Shadow agriculture secretary John Whittingdale argued there had to be a transparent consultation before any application is granted and ministers would have to do more to address public concerns.

"There will only be a market for GM crops if the government is able to convince consumers of their safety yet so far the government has failed to do this.

"GM crops could potentially be of great benefit to consumers, farmers and the Third World. However, the government must only proceed to grant permission for commercial growing on the basis of sound science and unambiguous rules."

Campaigners

But environmental campaigners claimed the government was more interested in spinning an unpopular policy.

"These minutes show that the government has accepted that GM has nothing going for it and yet they still think they can spin public opinion and get us to accept this dangerous technology," said a Greenpeace spokesman.

Sue Meyer, director of Genewatch UK, said: "Overall the government seem determined to go ahead in some form with growing GM crops in the UK, despite a lack of public support, economic advantage or investment in further research.

"They are clearly anxious that the decision will not be received positively and are having to plan ways of presenting the policy in a favourable light because it does not speak well for itself."

Survey

The revelation came as a new opinion poll claimed public opposition to genetically modified crops may have been overestimated by a government funded public consultation.

The GM Nation exercise last year concluded that more than 80 per cent of people were against GM crops, with only two per cent prepared to eat them.

However, a MORI poll for the University of East Anglia published on Thursday found that only 36 per cent expressed their opposition, with 13 per cent in favour of GM and 39 per cent undecided.

Nearly half of those questioned thought the technology could prove beneficial to consumers in the longer term, with 56 per cent believing that it could help developing nations.

An overwhelming majority of 85 per cent believed that not enough is known about the possible adverse effects of consuming GM foods in the long term.