Just as the RSPB point out that GM proponents can't have it both ways -- either GM herbicide resistant crops are great at killing weeds and cleaning fields in the way that they have always been advertised in North America, or they aren't, in which case why would farmers want them -- up pops avid GM proponent John Beringer saying 'yes, we can have it every which way'.  Tim Radford, the Guardian's science editor, heads his Beringer piece GM crops 'good for wildlife and yield' Dream on! Here's the Press Association
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GM CROPS 'COULD SAVE THE COUNTRYSIDE'
September 11, 2000
PA News
John von Radowitz

Professor Sir John Beringer, from the University of Bristol was cited as saying genetically modified crops could be the salvation of Britain's countryside, and could provide the best means of changing farming methods to safeguard Britain's biodiversity.

Sir John was quoted as telling the British Association Festival of Science at Imperial College, London that, "If we want to move back to a former period of time when there were more bees, more flowers, more butterflies, and more birds, we have to do it through changes in agriculture" and that GM crops could be engineered to keep insects eaten by birds under control yet allow them to remain an essential part of the  ecosystem.

This could be done by producing plants that release a natural insecticide, but only once they come under serious attack. Sir John added that it was vital to get away from "too clean" farming methods and allow a certain number of weeds to grow in fields. It should be possible to have weeds taking over 10 to 20% of a crop field and still obtain a good yield, he said.

Sir John was further cited as saying that to achieve this more herbicide-tolerant crop plants were needed that would allow weed killers to be used less often and more selectively and that GM crops engineered to be herbicide resistant were an obvious solution, adding, "We must have a lot more wild plants growing in crops, so we need to reduce the effect of weed killers. ... We have to consider whether we like it or not that GM might offer some solutions if we deal with it properly."
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TAKING OF JOHNS!

Don't forget ngin is the home of the '2 Johns Appreciation Society' With lots of info on John Stossel and Sir John Krebs at http://members.tripod.com/~ngin/organic.htm not forgetting Sir John and the Food Spin Agency http://members.tripod.com/~ngin/fsa.htm And, of course, the SIR JOHN KREBS caption competition: http://members.tripod.com/~ngin/krebs.htm MORE CAPTIONS PLEASE!