monsanto scientists say we like birds, birds good, pretty pretty..

January 17, 2003

and if it doesn't work, we'll just engineer some replacements, er better yet,

give everyone drugs so they think they see birds

Gene crops may help endangered birds - UK study

UK: January 17, 2003

LONDON - Gene-modified crops may help to bring back endangered wildlife such as

skylarks and finches, British scientists said.

Their research, partly funded by biotechnology giant Monsanto (MON.N), suggests

that applications of herbicides to gene crop rows rather than the land between

them meant insects and weeds could flourish, so providing more food for birds.

" Frequent spraying destroys the weeds on which the insects and birds feed, but

our system means we can reduce the amount of spraying and allow weeds between

the rows to flourish in summer without affecting yield, " said John Pidgeon, who

headed the research.

Broom's Barn research station in Suffolk headed trials with herbicide tolerant

GM beet at various sites in 1999 and 2000.

Pidgeon said the research was the first to show the environmental benefits of

herbicide tolerant GM crops. But conservation groups questioned his conclusions.

The UK Soil Association said similar experiments in North America showed

commercial farmers did not use gene crops in the specific way researchers

envisaged and so the supposed benefits did not materialise.

" If farmers wait before spraying the herbicide this will give weeds more time to

grow, which means more food for the wildlife, but waiting means they will not

gain the 10 percent yield gain, " the association's Gundala Azeez said.

" Most farmers are going to try and increase yield and therefore this over-use of

herbicides will endanger wildlife even more, " she added.

The Royal Society and Protection of Birds (RSPB) also had reservations.

" I think it is a novel and interesting technique they are using, but our main

concern is that the actual suggestion is not supported by the facts of the

research, " RSPB spokesman Darren Moorcroft said.

A report on the research has been published by the Royal Society, the UK's

national academy of sciences.

Story by Corinne Amoo

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE

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