[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[SANET-MG] field trials find against GM crops



Final farm-scale crop trial finds against GM
14:45 21 March 2005
NewScientist.com news service
Andy Coghlan
The last of the huge "farm scale evaluations" in Britain - which tested
genetically modified crops against their conventional counterparts - has
found that weedkiller-resistant winter oilseed rape (canola) is
marginally worse for farmland wildlife than its non-GM counterpart.

In the results published in 2004, GM spring oilseed rape and GM sugar
beet also came out worse for wildlife, while GM maize came out better.

The less clear cut verdict for winter oilseed rape arrived on Monday,
giving an overall 3-1 victory for the conventional crop varieties over
the equivalent GM crops.

But this time, the difference between the GM and conventional varieties
was much smaller. And as before, the researchers say that the result
hinges not on whether plants are GM or not, but on the weedkiller
regimes the farmers use to manage the different crops.

Appealing seeds
Although GM and conventional plots supported the same amount of weeds,
the balance in the GM fields shifted away from the broadleaf weeds whose
seeds are favoured by birds - especially finches, such as yellowhammers.
In their place grew grassy weeds whose seeds are less appealing.

But, complicating the picture, beneficial insects such as springtails
were more plentiful on the GM plots. Pollock said that the winter rape
results broadly matched those with spring rape, but were less emphatic.

But although all the results are now in, Pollock cautions against using
them as the final word on GM crops. "The nub of the debate is how you
farm, and what we share with the wildlife," he says.

Abandoning winter growing altogether would be the most beneficial
outcome for birds. This is because weeds and stubble in the fallow
fields provide them with food that they are denied if the farmer grows
crops instead. But growing winter crops allows farmers to farm more
efficiently. "It's society's choice," Pollock adds.

Related Articles
GM sugar beet 'far more environmentally friendly'
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4444
06 December 2003
Farming 1, wildlife 0
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18024183.300
25 October 2003
GM crops can be worse for environment
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4283
16 October 2003
Weblinks
Farm-scale evaluations, DEFRA
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/fse/
SCIMAC industrial trial backers
http://www.scimac.org.uk/
Friends of the Earth
http://www.foe.co.uk/

********************************************************
To unsubscribe from SANET-MG:
1- Visit http://lists.sare.org/archives/sanet-mg.html to unsubscribe or;
2- Send a message to <listserv@sare.org> from the address subscribed to the list. Type "unsubscribe sanet-mg" in the body of the message.

Visit the SANET-MG archives at: http://lists.sare.org/archives/sanet-mg.html
For more information on grants and other resources available through the SARE program, please visit http://www.sare.org.