- LONDON (Reuters) - Genetically
modified plants can pass on the same level of toxicity to insects even
when they are cross-bred with "natural" plants, scientists in
the United States have shown.
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- A study by researchers at the University of North Carolina
will concern environmentalists who say planted GM crops have cross-pollinated
with normal plants to create "superweeds" that are resistant
to insect attack and could spread rapidly.
-
- "It shows that GM crops can irreversibly pass on
their genes to wild plants and contaminate our natural heritage,"
Greenpeace spokesman, Ben Alyffe told Reuters.
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- "Once we release GM crops there's no going back.
The genie is out of the bottle."
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- The lab experiment cross-pollinated oilseed rape (canola)
containing an anti-pest gene with its natural relative, birdseed rape.
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- Five of the 11 resulting hybrids "expressed the
insecticide produced by the gene at levels similar to the GM parent and
were highly toxic to insects," the New Scientist said.
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- Alyffe said oilseed rape was a particular problem because
it pollinated so widely. Earlier this year Canada's expert panel on biotechnology
was reported as saying that GM superweeds had invaded Canadian farms.
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