快猫短视频

THE genetically modified food industry has suffered a double blow in the past
week. First came evidence that widespread introduction of GM crops could
indirectly threaten some of Britain鈥檚 most popular farmland birds by depriving
them of the weeds they eat. And as 快猫短视频 went to press, the
anti-GM group, GeneWatch UK, produced a leaked Monsanto document that stated the
company was 鈥渋nstrumental鈥� in nominating experts to a UN body, and had contacts
which would help 鈥渇acilitate rational regulation鈥�.

But a spokeswoman for Monsanto points out that environmental groups also
nominate experts to committees. 鈥淚t is unfortunate that rather than enter into
meaningful dialogue, GeneWatch has chosen instead to resort to this type of
innuendo and attack,鈥� she says. But the earlier charge that birds are threatened
by GM farming may be harder to shake off.

Ecologists led by Andrew Watkinson at the University of East Anglia modelled
the effects on planting GM sugar beet on skylarks (Alauda arvensis).
They assumed that the beet was modified to resist glyphosate, a herbicide which
can eliminate virtually all of the crop鈥檚 main weed, called fat hen
(Chenopodium album). Skylarks rely on seeds from the weed in
the autumn and winter.

The model predicts that if the GM beet is planted by farmers who currently
have difficulties in controlling fat hen, the number of skylarks using their
fields could fall by up to 80 per cent (Science, vol 289, p 1554).

The research is criticised by CropGen, a lobby group funded by the GM
industry, for being 鈥渁 paper study鈥�. The best way to get 鈥渉ard scientific data鈥�,
says the group, is to conduct field trials like those under way at British
farms.

But Watkinson points out that farm-scale trials are not large enough to
measure the impact on birds, because they range many kilometres for food.