REMEMBER those huge 鈥渇arm-scale evaluations鈥� in the UK to find out if genetically modified crops are bad for farmland wildlife? Probably not. So to recap: GM spring oilseed rape and GM sugar beet came out worse for wildlife, and GM maize came out better. But there was one more result to come, on winter oilseed rape (canola). The verdict arrived on Monday.
The outcome? Taking all things into consideration, the study found GM winter rape was worse for wildlife, which on the face of it gives an overall 3-1 victory for the conventional varieties. But this time the margin was much narrower. And as before, the researchers say that the result hinges not on genetic modification but on the weedkiller regimes used by farmers.
鈥淲hat we found supports the theory that herbicide tolerance does impact on the environment,鈥� says Chris Pollock, the chair of the scientific steering committee for the trials. Although GM and conventional plots supported the same amount of weeds, the balance in the GM fields shifted away from broadleaf weeds 鈥� whose seeds are favoured by birds 鈥� to grassy weeds.
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Pollock cautions that the results are not the final word on GM crops. 鈥淭he nub of the debate is how you farm,鈥� he says. Abandoning winter growing altogether would be the most beneficial outcome for birds but this is less efficient for farmers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 society鈥檚 choice,鈥� says Pollock.
