The Government Farm Scale Evaluation trials of GM herbicide tolerant sugar beet showed that there was potential to have an adverse impact on food for farmland birds if a ‘weed free’ management approach was adopted. Previous work at Broom’s Barn Research Station demonstrated that innovative crop management practices deploying GM herbicide tolerant beet had the potential to deliver food for farmland birds in spring or autumn. New research, published today in the Journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B demonstrates an extremely cheap and simple mitigation approach to avoid any adverse impacts on bird populations. This is achieved by simply leaving two crop rows in every 100 unsprayed. Research team leader Dr John Pidgeon said “The economic benefits for a hard pressed farming sector are large. This demonstrates beyond reasonable doubt that GM herbicide-tolerant beet can be economically and environmentally beneficial. It’s a win:win situation for sustainable agriculture”.

Team member Professor Guy Poppy demonstrated for the first time how the ‘bow tie’ risk management approach could be applied to agriculture and land use. The ‘bow tie’ risk management approach is logical and transparent. Prof Poppy said: “Stakeholders can see clearly the likely hazards, their consequences, and decide the mitigation measures required to prevent or overcome them”.

“But the wider issue is that such simple ways forward were not found during the unhelpfully polarised GM debate” said Dr Pidgeon. “UK and European agriculture needs economically beneficial change to be introduced with due environmental precaution. We now have the methodologies to achieve this, with transparent, rigorous scrutiny. We need to move forward pragmatically, on the basis of evidence and not remain trapped in irrational thinking that prevents progress”.

Sources:

1. Press release: Mitigation of indirect environmental effects of GM crops. Royal Society (18.4.07)

2. Michael Hopkin (18.4.07). Changes to pesticide spraying could reduce GM harm. Nature (http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070416/full/070416-8.html)

3. Pidgeon J. D., May M. J., Perry J. N. & Poppy G. M. Mitigation of indirect environmental effects of GM crops. Proc. R. Soc. B, doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.0401 (2007).

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