EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The main purpose of this project is to test the null hypothesis that there are no significant differences between the biodiversity associated with the management of GM winter oilseed rape / spring oil seed rape / maize / beet crops that are tolerant to herbicides and comparable non-GM crops at the farm scale. Here we report on progress in the period October 1999 – February 2000.
The selection of farms is required to be representative of the commercial farming of each crop in Great Britain. This does not require all kinds of farms to be in the same proportion in the sample as in the country as a whole; indeed, it is wise to over-represent certain kinds of farm that may hold special importance to the interpretation of the results. The most important criteria are the geographic ranges of the sites, and measures of the intensity of their management. This includes information about inputs, yields, and biodiversity potential. These are compared against profiles of the commercial growing of the crops.
The process of site selection has to distinguish between the regulatory obligations of SCIMAC and the scientific obligations of the Consortium in a way that is impartial and transparent. To this end, farmers approach SCIMAC, and details are forwarded to the Consortium once SCIMAC are happy that the regulatory and contractual requirements can be met. The Consortium then approaches the farmer with a questionnaire designed to provide the information needed to judge the acceptability of the site on the scientific criteria noted above.
Once a farm has been selected, the consortium and the farmer must agree on the division of the field into the two treatments. The emphasis here is on ensuring that the biodiversity potential is as similar as possible on the two sections of the field. This decision takes into account field boundaries, soil types and previous cropping history. The treatments are allocated according to a random allocation made in advance.
The farmer is required to use their usual sources of agronomic advice. However, SCIMAC have a role to ensure that the GM crop is managed within the SCIMAC guidelines and product label requirements. Therefore, SCIMAC are allowed an input to providing advice on the herbicide regime of the GM crop only. This advice is aimed at ensuring cost-effective weed management. The advice will be recorded, along with actual management records. These must be audited against "typical" farm management regimes.
Progress towards finalising the biodiversity assessment protocols is now almost complete. Protocols for seed return, seed availability in the seed margins, crop pests are still to be tested, and this will take place in the pilot winter rape sites. The protocol for vegetation sampling in following crops is also in development and is being tested in the crops following the 1999 pilot sites.
The major changes in protocols are:
- Sampling intensities are now informed by estimates of variation within the data from the pilot sites
- New protocols for seed availability, seed return and crop pests
- Maize is mostly grown south of the line from Bristol to the Wash, on lighter soils. Spring oil seed rape has a wide geographic range, with around one third in Scotland and two thirds in England. Sugar beet is grown for sugar and fodder, and the management systems may differ. Because of this the sample aims to include adequate numbers of both sugar and fodder beet. Beet is found mainly in East Anglia and some in the west of England; fodder beet tends to have a broader distribution.
The Consortium considers that we now have an adequate range of sites for all spring sown crops to deliver its planned work programme for 2000. This situation represents a remarkable willingness for farmers to take part in a project that remains highly controversial. While we have not undertaken any formal survey, our impression is that farmers genuinely want to see whether or not GM crops affect wildlife, and they value being part of a formal experiment of such national importance. We are very grateful to them. We are also grateful for the support of SCIMAC.
The field survey programme for summer 2000 begins with a training course, followed by the site visits for allocating and initial sampling. The timetable for subsequent field surveys is provided.
The project team has been involved in several scientific meetings, and has established a series of meetings with members of the BRIGHT project. Press and public interest in the project has been, in general, less intense than during the summer of 1999. We welcome the proposed series of regional meetings to explain the project to the public.
Published 13 June 2000
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