"Me2" <nospam.DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:Xns9471D69A3F35nospamhotmail@127.0.0.1...
> "pearl" <tea.DeleteThis@signguestbook.ie> wrote in news:bu6jl2$qbv$1@kermit.esat.net:
>
> > GM crops to hit wildlife, says advisory body
> >
> > - 14/01/2004 - Throwing the cat among the pigeons, UK government
> > advisors confirmed yesterday that GM herbicide tolerant (HT) crops
> > could harm wildlife, including farmland birds.
>
> Interesting that you (and your source) neglected to mention that
> the advisory body actually tested for 3 GM herbicide tolerance
> crops.
You're wrong.
'After picking over the results of the UK farm scale evaluations
(FSEs) for three genetically modified herbicide-tolerant crops -
published on 16 October 2003 – the Advisory Committee on
Releases to the Environment (ACRE) said this week that if GMHT
beet and GMHT oilseed rape were to be grown and managed as
in the FSEs ‘this would result in adverse effects on arable weed
populations’, notably farmland birds.'
http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/news-NG.asp?id=49029
> Whilst oil seed rape and sugar beet were found to be possibly
> harmful to wildlife, GM maize was found to be beneficial.
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3196768.stm
Beneficial, or better, -compared to conventional crops-.
'The production of a third biotech plant - a maize - was shown
to be kinder to other plants and animals than the normal crop.
...
... growing GM maize was better for many groups of wildlife
than conventional maize. There were more weeds in and
around the biotech maize crops, more butterflies and bees
around at certain times of the year, and more weed seeds.
...
... executive director (of Greenpeace) Stephen Tindale
added: "The real comparison should be between GM and
organic agriculture. But organic is so obviously better for
the environment that the GM industry refused point blank
to have this included in the trials.
"The trials are simply comparing one highly damaging form
of agriculture with one that's even worse."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3196768.stm
FURTHERMORE;
'Critics said the trials were too narrowly focused, ignoring
other possible effects like damage to consumers' health,
cross-pollination with other plants, harm to soil organisms,
and the long-term transfer of modified genes.
Doubts acknowledged
They also said the maize tests were invalid and would have
to be repeated, because the herbicide used on the conventional
maize was atrazine, to be phased out by the European Union.
They were concerned because they thought its eventual
replacement might well be more wildlife-friendly, cancelling
out the advantage which GM maize appears to enjoy.
These doubts clearly weighed with the researchers. In a
commentary on the FSEs, they write: "The actual effects...
were remarkably consistent for each crop.
"This finding gives us confidence that the findings would
represent what would actually happen under large-scale
growing, unless the management regimes altered somewhat,
for example if... atrazine was no longer allowed on maize
crops..."
The chairman of the FSE independent scientific steering
committee, Professor Christopher Pollock, sees no problem
with the maize tests.
Timing crucial
He told BBC News Online: "Atrazine is in current use, so
the data are consistent and have value. Calls for the trials
to be restarted are perhaps less than wholly appropriate."
The leader of the research team, Dr Les Firbank, was less
certain. He said: "If the management systems changed, we'd
have to recalibrate our results, look again at our data, and
possibly get new data. But we wouldn't have to start again
from scratch."
Different crops require different management practices
But another member of the team, Professor Geoff Squire,
went further. He told BBC News Online: "The difference
we found between conventional and GM crops is explained
by the timing. The conventional herbicides zap the weeds
fairly early on, leaving them time for a later surge.
"With GM herbicides you can get into the crop and get the
weeds later, so they have no chance to grow back.
"With atrazine, it kills so much of the wildlife because of
its persistence and its toxicity.
"Obviously, if atrazine is withdrawn, we'll have to look at
maize again. This is a package, the GM crop and the
herbicide.
"If either element changes, we shall have to revisit it. I
think this is a view shared among the research team."
...'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3197480.stm >> Stay informed about: GM crops to hit wildlife, says advisory body 
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