A farmer who has agreed to take part in genetically modified crop trials has hit back at criticism.

Jeremy Courtney, of Crouch's Farm, East Hoathly, said people who are opposed to the experiments have "closed minds".

He said: "We have got to go forwards with experimentation, if we don't, how will we ever progress? The laboratory-based experiments have finished and we have got to move to field trials. I am not just doing this for farmers but the wider community as a whole.

"If we don't carry out these trials, farming in the UK will fall behind the rest of the world as lots of other countries are already working on GM crops."

Mr Courtney has been working on his mixed dairy and arable farm since 1963.

He said he had to be closely vetted by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food and Aventis Crop Science, the company licensed to carry out the trials on the ministry's behalf.

He said: "Only farms which can show the highest examples of best practice can take part and I have no concerns about taking part."

Three hectares of GM oil-seed rape will be planted on Mr Courtney's farm and closely monitored alongside three hectares of ordinary oil-seed.

There will be a six metre barrier of grass around the crops to make sure fertilisers do not get into hedgerows or watercourses .

Mr Courtney said concerns about cross-pollination of the GM crops and other plants were unfounded.