Once weeds have multiple resistance genes, which may occur within just a few growing seasons, they will be particularly difficult to control. This will result in greater dependence and use of agrochemicals, rather than less, as is claimed by the biotechnology companies. This will pose a great problem for farmers who usually clear volunteers with herbicides before planting the next crop. Warning to the British government Dr Geoffrey Clements, a physicist and leader of the Natural Law Party in the UK, said that this information should be noted by the British government ministers who are now considering approving oilseed rape as the first GE crop to be grown commercially in Britain from next spring. Oilseed rape is currently the fourth most widely grown crop in Britain.
Genetic engineering is a novel, untried, and very inexact science.
Already there are numerous indications of the potential for great damage to the environment and to human health from genetically engineered foods. Dr Clements said that in recent decades the promise of cheap power through nuclear energy was soon dashed not only by the astronomical cost of dealing with nuclear waste but also by the impracticality of storing ever-increasing quantities of radioactive material. Dr Clements congratulated the Ministry for Ecology in Niedersachsen, as well as the Consumers' Association, Friends of the Earth and other groups in the UK, who are bringing these issues to the awareness of the public. He also praised The Guardian newspaper for its in-depth coverage of all the issues in its Monday to Thursday editions this week. Every single survey has shown that wherever the public is well-informed about the issues, the vast majority are opposed to genetically engineered foods.