GM crops in Britain dealt a major blow

The prospects for GM (Genetically Modified) crops in Britain have been dealt another blow because the latest research shows that bees and other beneficial insects can be harmed. Reporting the research, Nature said:

Butterfly numbers were cut by up to two-thirds and bee populations by half in fields of transgenic winter oilseed rape (canola), according to the final results of a three-year study commissioned by the UK government.

The bees and butterfly numbers dropped because the weed population changed. There are also fears that this could have an impact further up the food chain, especially for song birds.

At the end of a report in the Independent, a British national newspaper, there is a useful summary of the four trials and of the changing debate over GM crops.