GM maize appeared to perfom better than conventional maize growing environmentally at UK field trials over the past 3 years, according to UK government studies, while rape seed and beet did not. However the GM maize only appeared to perform well because the herbicide used on the conventional crop was the particularly hazardous atrazine. Last week it was banned by the EU under its Plant Protection Products Directive.</p><p><a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story.jsp?story=452418">Independent: Flaw in crop trials destroys government case for GM</a>