They claim that gene crops will cause farmers to use more herbicides, damage the environment and create dangerous monopolies in which a handful of GM crop companies will control seed and herbicide sales throughout the world. The first point is vociferously rejected by scientists. Gene crops are designed to cut herbicide use, they say. Early studies back this claim. Scientists believe that reduced use of weedkillers should cause less poisoning of insects and wild animals.
Some ecologists disagree.
To discover the answer, GM crop trials have been set up round the country. In three or four years, these should provide answers - if the fields are not first dug up and destroyed by green activists. This danger is accepted by scientists. However, pollen from a gene crop can only be taken up by plants of a similar species. Most analysts believe genetically modified foods arrived at a time when green activists were spoiling for a fight over the increasing industrialisation of food production.