BRITAIN: Royal Society criticises GM crops

On March 20, the Royal Society released the results of its government-sponsored review of genetically modified winter seed oil crops, concluding that wildlife and the environment would suffer if the crops were allowed to be grown. According to the March 22 Guardian, the review — the most comprehensive of its kind undertaken worldwide — ends the hopes of the biotech industry to introduce GM crops into Britain in the near future. Winter seed oil was the final, and most significant, of four GM crops tested, three of which were deemed harmful to wildlife. The report found that broadleaf weeds were less numerous in GM fields than natural ones, which deprived bird species of food and disrupted the ecosystem.

From Green Left Weekly, April 6, 2005.

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From GLW issue 621