Farmers will get the green light to grow GM crops, the government appears set to announce.

Downing Street confirmed on Thursday that the announcement will be made next week on the UK growing of genetically-modified crops.

Environment secretary Margaret Beckett is expected to tell MPs next week that she giving the go-ahead for the growing of genetically-modified maize.

"There will be an announcement next week. All will be revealed then," said the official spokesman.

The issue was discussed at Cabinet on Thursday - though the prime minister was not present as he was travelling to Italy.

Several Cabinet ministers backed the decision, arguing the importance of the scientific evidence.

The official spokesman compared the issue to the furore over the MMR vaccination.

"You had on one side of the sale a vast body of scientific opinion saying this was safe and on the other side one research report," he said.

Downing Street did not rule out ministers and pro-GM MPs mounting a media campaign over the coming days to counter the anti-lobby.

The decision follows a report on GM trials by the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment in January concluded that while growth of maize was beneficial to the environment, two other crop types were found to be damaging.

"This is neither a green light nor a death knell for GM," said deputy chairman Professor Jules Pretty.

"We're saying 'yes, but' to the maize and 'no, but' to rape and beet."

He added: "It's not 'yes, no, no' - the buts are very important."