Ban gene tests

TRADE unions, human rights lawyers and patient groups joined forces to warn of the growing threat of genetic testing in the workplace which they said could be used to discriminate against workers.

The Government was urged to prohibit the use of genetic test results to make employment decisions, deny health coverage or raise insurance premiums.

Union leaders said they wanted genetic privacy to be respected and argued that employment decisions should not be based on "misleading" genetic testing.

Farmers desert

FARMERS deserting the rural market are causing the price of land to fall.

Figures from The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said the cost of farmland had been falling for more than a year. The group said struggling farmers were staying away from the market, which was instead dominated by families looking to escape to a rural way of life.

Fuel cost threat

FIRMS are being hit by the sustained high price of energy and expect to lay off workers in the next few months, according to a survey of small companies.