GM crop farm-scale evaluation results published today

16 October 2003

This press release is issued by the steering committee that oversaw the field scale evaluation work. We are placing this on our site because of wide interest in this matter, and because a NERC scientist, Dr Les Firbank, led the science team in undertaking the work.

Growing conventional beet and spring rape was better for many groups of wildlife than growing GM herbicide-tolerant beet and spring rape.

Some insect groups, such as bees (in beet crops) and butterflies (in beet and spring rape), were recorded more frequently in and around the conventional crops because there were more weeds to provide food and cover. There were also more weed seeds in conventional beet and spring rape crops than in their GM counterparts. Such seeds are important in the diets of some animals, particularly some birds. However some groups of soil insects were found in greater numbers in GM herbicide-tolerant beet and spring rape crops.

In contrast, growing GM herbicide-tolerant maize was better for many groups of wildlife than conventional maize.

There were more weeds in and around the GM herbicide-tolerant maize crops, more butterflies and bees around at certain times of the year, and more weed seeds.

The researchers stress that the differences they found are not a result of the way in which the crops have been genetically modified. They arose because these GM crops gave farmers taking part in the trial new options for weed control. That is, they used different herbicides and applied them differently.

The research has been conducted by an independent consortium of research institutes. The head of the research team, Dr Les Firbank said "The research team is proud to present our findings. The results are clearly important to the debate about the possible commercialisation of GM crops. But, they also give us new insights that will help us conserve biodiversity within productive farming systems."

The work has been overseen by an independent Scientific Steering Committee. Today they have advised the Secretary of State that the Farm Scale Evaluations have been successfully completed and have outlined the findings from the study. The Chairman of the Scientific Steering Committee, Professor Chris Pollock said "I am delighted that the hard work and dedication of so many people from the farming, industry and research communities has finally reached fruition with the open publication of the results. I look forward with enthusiasm to the scientific debate that starts today and to the impact that these trials will have on ecological and agricultural research."

The Scientific Steering Committee and research consortium have produced an accessible summary of the research findings and a scientific commentary of the results. Both documents are intended to make understanding the complex series of studies easier. Copies are available free from the farm scale evaluation website.

The Scientific Steering Committee will now pass the results of the study to the Government's statutory advisers on GM crops - the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) - who will review the findings and advise the government on their conclusions.

Notes for editors

Full details of how to obtain a copy of the results, the non-specialist summary or the scientific commentary is available from the DEFRA website.

The SSC advice to ministers is copied below.

The field trials began in 1999 when the government asked an independent consortium of researchers to investigate how growing herbicide-tolerant GM crops might affect farmland wildlife compared with growing non-GM varieties of the same crops.

The crops tested were spring-sown oilseed rape, beet and maize. The GM crops had been genetically modified to make them resistant to specific herbicides. The research team found that there were differences in the abundance of wildlife between GMHT crop fields and conventional crop fields.

Results for a fourth crop in the farm scale evaluations, winter oilseed rape, are expected to be published in mid-2004. The data from the winter oilseed rape trials are being collated now, following harvesting of the final crops earlier this summer. Data analysis and report writing will begin shortly

Media arrangements and FSE presentation: Any requests for interviews with members of the Scientific Steering Committee or the research scientists should be directed to the Science Media Centre.

Further information

Fiona Fox
Science Media Centre
The Royal Institution
21 Albemarle Street
London W1S 4BS
Tel: 020 7670 2981
Fax: 020 7670 2950

Scientific Steering Committee comprised:

Professor Christopher Pollock (Chairman), IGER
Dr Nicholas Aebischer, Game Conservancy Trust
Dr Alastair Burn, English Nature
Professor Mick Crawley, Imperial College
Dr David Gibbons, RSPB
Mr Jim Orson, Morley Research Centre
Dr Nick Sotherton, Game Conservancy Trust

The FSE research consortium is made up of:

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Monks Wood
Abbots Ripton
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire
PE28 2LS
Tel: 01487 772400
Fax: 01487 773590

Rothamsted Research
Harpenden
Hertfordshire
AL5 2JQ
Tel: 01582 763133
Fax: 01582 760981

The Scottish Crop Research Institute
Invergowrie
Dundee
DD2 5DA
Scotland, UK
Tel: 01382 562731
Fax: 01382 562426

The research was funded by Defra and SEERAD

Scientific Steering Committee for the GM crop farm-scale evaluations

16 October 2003

Final advice to Ministers

The Scientific Steering Committee was formed in May 1999 to oversee the ecological studies that are the farm-scale evaluations. The studies have been conducted by a consortium of independent contractors made up of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Rothamsted Research and the Scottish Crop Research Institute.

The remit of The Scientific Steering Committee includes advising the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly on the outcome of the Farm-scale evaluations.

Today eight scientific papers containing the results of the farm-scale evaluation of spring-sown crops (maize, beet and spring oilseed rape) have been published in The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (Biological Sciences). The publication of these papers, following full peer-review, provides independent endorsement of the SSC's view that the farm scale evaluations were designed and executed to a high standard. The SSC is content that these eight papers collectively have adequately addressed the null hypothesis under test: that, for each crop, the effect on the abundance and diversity of wildlife of the management of the GM crop does not differ from the effect of the management of the conventional equivalent. The null hypothesis was rejected in each case.

Growing conventional beet and spring rape was better for many groups of wildlife than growing GM herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) beet and spring rape. Some insect groups, such as bees (in beet crops) and butterflies (in beet and spring rape) , were recorded more frequently in and around the conventional crops because there were more weeds to provide food and cover. There were also more weed seeds in conventional beet and spring rape crops than in their GM counterparts. Such seeds are important in the diets of some animals, particularly some birds. However some groups of soil insects were found in greater numbers in GMHT beet and spring rape crops.

In contrast, growing GMHT maize was better for many groups of wildlife than conventional maize. There were more weeds in and around the GMHT maize crops, more butterflies and bees around at certain times of the year, and more weed seeds.

It is not the remit of the Scientific Steering Committee to comment on the regulatory significance of these findings. However the results will be passed to The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) and both the SSC and the research team will willingly assist ACRE in their deliberations if required.

The data from the winter oilseed rape trials are being collated now. Data analysis and report writing will begin shortly. It is intended the results will be published in mid-2004 at which time the SSC will advise on the outcome.

All data collected in the farm scale evaluations will be made available for further research purposes or for public inspection. Details of how access will be managed will be published shortly.

The SSC would like to congratulate the research consortium on the successful completion of this work.

GM crop farm-scale evaluation results published today

Scientific Steering Committee for the GM crop farm-scale evaluations

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