NGOs, by the way, have been known to lie when they are convinced that the lie will help them push their concerns. For instance, in the debate over genetically-modified maize plants, various NGOs had been reporting that the pollen of what is called Bt corn was killing off the monarch butterfly.

Now, a two-year study led by the US Agricultural Research Service (ARS) that included a group of federal, university and biotechnology industry scientists has shown definitively that the pollen poses no "immediate significant risk" to the Monarch or to anything else.

What the NGOs used were preliminary studies: In 1999, researchers from Cornell University reported that maize genetically engineered with the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to resist the corn-borer pest killed monarch caterpillars in the laboratory.

In 2000, researchers from Iowa State University said monarch caterpillars were seven times likelier to die from eating milkweed near GM maize than those eating milkweed leaves with no GM pollen on them.

The more recent and comprehensive study by the ARS scientists has now found that, as with everything, if one feeds caterpillars too much bt corn pollen, it could kill them but that below 1,000 pollen grains per square centimeter, the caterpillars' weight and survival rate were unaffected. Above that level the caterpillars were smaller, but they survived as long as the control group.

ARS reports: "We found that, on average, less than 30 percent of the pollen that corn produces ends up on milkweed leaves, even when conditions are perfect, and most of that gets deposited on milkweed within the cornfield."

But the ARS also reported: "You need to compare the potential for risk to monarchs from Bt corn with the alternative, which is chemical insecticide use."

Those chemicals will definitely kill the Monarchs. That's what the chemicals are supposed to do - kill insects.