March 8, 2000

Genetic engineering does not yield pesticide reduction

TORONTO, March 7 /CNW/ via NewsEdge Corporation -
Genetically-engineered (GE) crops cannot be depended on to reduce
pesticide use, according to a report released today by World Wildlife
Fund Canada titled "Do Genetically Engineered Crops Reduce Pesticide
Use? The Evidence Says Not Likely."

...recent US data show that GE crops are not producing such
reductions. Farmers planting GE crops have often actually increased
their use of herbicides and insecticides...

Since GE is not performing according to claims and significant risks
continue to emerge, including concerns regarding the impact of Bt
corn on monarch butterflies, WWF concludes that sure-fire ways of
achieving pesticide reduction, including IPM and organic techniques,
should be preferentially adopted.

WWF's report, "Do Genetically Engineered Crops Reduce Pesticide Use?
The Evidence Says Not Likely," is available in the news room of WWF
Canada's web site at http://www.wwf.ca or by calling WWF at
1-800-26-PANDA.

For further information: Julia Langer, Director of Wildlife
Toxicology, WWF Canada, at (416) 489-4567 ext. 258 or Gregory Hamara,
Media Relations Manager, WWF Canada, at (416) 489-4567 ext. 276