31 August 2000

  NEW FEARS OVER IMPACT OF GM CROPS ON BIRD POPULATIONS

  New research from the University of East Anglia on the potentially
  negative effect of GM crops on bird populations is published in
  Science magazine tomorrow (Friday).  Adrian Bebb, GM campaigner at
  Friends of the Earth comments:

  "We have argued since the beginning of the GM debate that
  introducing pesticide and herbicide resistant crops into the UK
  countryside may have disastrous environmental effects.  This new
  research provides shocking evidence of what could happen to our
  farmland bird populations, already in sharp decline because of
  chemical-heavy intensive farming.  By contrast recent research on
  organic farms showed an increase in skylark numbers.

  The UEA research also reveals once again the farcical nature of
  the Government's so called GM "trials programme".  The research
  suggests that the trials will fail to pick up any of the
  environmental effects identified in this study.  Since these are
  fundamental to the environmental case against GM crops, what on
  earth is the point of the trials?  The time has come for the
  Government to finally call a freeze on GM crops until their safety
  can be guaranteed.  And instead of wasting tax-payers money on
  dead-end GM research the Government should be investing in farm
  systems that grow sufficient high-quality food on
  wildlife-friendly land."

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