GMO News
Up to date news and comment about GMO issues.
March 12, 2010
The GM war in Europe starts here
Brussels bureaucrats want to spread GM crops throughout Europe, against the will of most of its people, says Geoffrey Lean.
Not just a spud, this is likely to prove a very hot political potato indeed. It is living, knobbly proof of the determination of Brussels bureaucrats to spread GM crops throughout Europe, against the will of most of its people. In a little-noticed move last week, the European Commission defied most of the governments to which it is supposed to answer to give the green light to growing a modified potato across the continent. It was the first time a GM crop had been authorised for cultivation in 13 years. But, now the long moratorium has been broken, similar approvals for others are expected rapidly to follow. The decision has its origins in a couple of secret, top-level meetings called by Jose Manuel Barroso, the Commission's strongly pro-GM president. He invited the prime ministers of each of the 27 EU member states to send a personal representative along to discuss how to "speed up" the spread of the technology and "deal with" public opposition.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
March 9, 2010
EU commission under fire over GM potato
A row has flared in parliament following the commission's decision to allow a genetically modified potato to be grown in some EU countries. This month's decision comes after a 13-year campaign by the German chemical company BASF. But commission president José Manuel Barroso was jeered when he sought to defend the move during a lively parliamentary Q&A session in Strasbourg on Tuesday. MEPs, some of whom held up posters which read "For a GMO-free Europe", said the commission had "failed to follow proper parliamentary procedure" by not consulting the assembly before reaching its decision.
Read article at theparliament.com
March 3, 2010
Glyphosate Resistance in Weeds
The Transgenic Treadmill
Glyphosate resistant weeds may spell the end of patented herbicide tolerant crops, but can farmers exit the transgenic treadmill that’s very profitable for Monsanto?
Read article by Prof. Joe Cummins on the Institute of Science in Society (ISIS) website (UK)
March 2, 2010
Against the will of citizens and farmers, and overriding the sovereignty of Member States, the EU authorizes a GM potato
The EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer policy John Dalli has approved the cultivation of the genetically modified 'Amflora' potato, produced by the German multinational BASF. The potato, modified to contain a higher percentage of starch, marks a step backwards in the approach adopted since 1998 by the EU, driven first and foremost by the precautionary principle. Commissioner Dalli has authorized the cultivation of the potato despite the fact that numerous environmental organizations have voiced concerns, that European citizens and farmers have come out on several occasions against GMOs and that the potato in question has a characteristic —resistance to an antibiotic— in direct violation of EU Directive 2001/18.
Read article on the website of the Slow Food organization
March 2, 2010
Farmers, exporters warn GM animals could damage 'brand New Zealand'
Organic farmers fear "brand New Zealand" will be damaged if plans proceed to expand the range of genetically modified animals. Farmers and exporters told a panel deciding whether to allow Agresearch to put human genes into goats, sheep and cows that overseas customers might stop buying New Zealand products if there were further trials.
Read article in the New Zealand Herald
February 9, 2010
Opposition to GM
India's decision to reject the cultivation of GM aubergines has been welcomed by the Scottish Government. Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham said the decision was further evidence of growing concern about the damage GM could inflict on the environment.
Read news release on the Scottish Government website (Scotland/UK)
February 9, 2010
Monsanto 'faked' data for approvals claims its ex-chief
The debate on genetically modified (GM) brinjal variety continues to generate heat. Former managing director of Monsanto India, Tiruvadi Jagadisan, is the latest to join the critics of Bt brinjal, perhaps the first industry insider to do so. Jagadisan, who worked with Monsanto for nearly two decades, including eight years as the managing director of India operations, spoke against the new variety during the public consultation held in Bangalore on Saturday. On Monday, he elaborated by saying the company "used to fake scientific data" submitted to government regulatory agencies to get commercial approvals for its products in India.
Read article on the India Today website
February 9, 2010
GM Wheat rejected by 233 Consumer, Farmer Groups in 26 Countries
233 consumer and farmer groups in 26 countries have joined the "Definitive Global Rejection of GM Wheat" statement to stop the commercialization of genetically modified (GM) wheat and remind the biotechnology corporation Monsanto that genetically modifying this major crop is not acceptable to farmers or consumers.
Read news release at newswire.ca (Canada)
February 5, 2010
Australians “uncomfortable” with GM food
Australians remain uneasy about eating genetically modified (GM) foods, according to research from Swinburne University. The University’s fifth National Science and Technology Monitor found most people well informed about GM but still very mistrustful of the institutions that commercialise GM foods. “A major target of public mistrust is Monsanto, the world’s biggest seed company that owns patents on over 90% of all commercial GM soy, corn, canola and cotton crops that are grown,” Gene Ethics director Bob Phelps asserted.
Read article on the Australian Food News website (Australia)
February 5, 2010
Five-year ban on GM foods proposed in Bulgaria
Following the wave of protests against a bill of amendments that would allow genetically-modified organisms (GMO) to be grown in Bulgaria, the country's ruling party will now propose a five-year ban on all genetically-modified cultures in the country, it emerged on February 5 2010. The ban would affect all crops and the entire country, Environment Minister Nona Karadjova said.
Read article in the Sofia Echo (Bulgaria)
February 1, 2010
Russia to tighten labeling requirements for GMO food products
Russian food producers will be required to label their products with "This product contains GMOs" inscription, according to Russian media reports. Such proposal has recently been introduced by some members of the Russian Parliament. According to the bill, the size of inscription must be at least 20% of the advertising space of the package. Many of the Russian officials believe that the absence of such information confuses the Russian consumer and violates the right of consumers to receive truthful information about the products they use.
Read article at foodbizdaily.com
January 29, 2010
Biodiversity: EU Farmers Face Genetic Contamination of Seeds
Biodiversity, already decaying fast as a result of climate change and intensive farming, is under further threat by genetic modification (GM) of seeds, says a leading German ecological activist. Genetic modification of seeds is dangerous, "since it is at the beginning of the agricultural chain, and can spread all over," says Benedikt Haerlin, former campaign manager at the environmental organisation Greenpeace and former member of the European Parliament.
Read article at ipsnews.net
January 21, 2010
Close EFSA's open doors to industry!
Joint letter sent by NGOs to alert the EU Commission
Four NGOs, Testbiotech, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO Brussels), Friends of the Earth (FOE Brussels), and Lobbycontrol are now jointly addressing the EU Commission about a scandal involving a leading member of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) who moved directly into the agribusiness company Syngenta. They are calling for a thorough investigation of the circumstances and urging the commission to take immediate action. "So far no appropriate action has been taken by the EFSA", says Christoph Then from Testbiotech. “The Commission must react to this new case of an EU official going through revolving doors. There is a clear conflict with the legitimate interests of the EFSA”. It was recently made public that the former head of the EFSA’s GMO panel, Suzy Renckens, had become Head of Biotech Regulatory Affairs for Europe, Africa and Middle East (EAME) at Syngenta just one month after she quit the EFSA. In her own words, Ms Renckens now lobbies for Syngenta to influence EU decision-making on genetically engineered organisms. This is the very same issue she was responsible for regulating with the EFSA.
Read press release on the GM Watch website
January 20, 2010
Health Scandal - Monsanto's GMO Perversion of Food
In the 2010 growing season Monsanto plans to unleash its latest Frankenfood experiment on the American and Canadian public, a new version of genetically mutated corn with eight abnormal gene traits called Genuity SmartStax corn. It is the culmination of an astonishing scandal that has been steadily building over the past decade.
Read article by Byron J. Richards at newswithviews.com
January 19, 2010
GM crops escalate herbicide arms race
A new report on the spread of herbicide resistant weeds in the world calls upon farmers to take the lead in dealing with the problem if scientists and governments fail to do so. Without such action GM herbicide tolerant crops will cause an explosion of herbicide resistant weeds. Promises from agri-biotech companies that GM herbicide tolerant crops would make weed control in crops such as soya, maize and cotton easier and cheaper now look hollow. This year the GM industry will again try to use the ISAAA report to paper over the cracks and paint GM as a success in world agriculture. This research shows exactly how much more costly HT crops are becoming over time as serious problems spread.
Read article on the GM Watch website
Comment: To read the report, click here.
January 12, 2010
Monsanto's GMO Corn Linked To Organ Failure, Study Reveals
In a study released by the International Journal of Biological Sciences, analyzing the effects of genetically modified foods on mammalian health, researchers found that agricultural giant Monsanto's GM corn is linked to organ damage in rats.
Read article in The Huffington Post
Comment: This study examined three varieties of Monsanto's GM corn – Mon 863, insecticide-producing Mon 810, and Roundup herbicide-absorbing NK 603 – all of which were approved for consumption by US, European and several other national food safety authorities. The researchers’ conclusion was that their data strongly recommends “that additional long-term (up to 2 years) animal feeding studies be performed in at least three species, preferably also multi-generational, to provide true scientifically valid data on the acute and chronic toxic effects of GM crops, feed and foods.” They added that their analysis highlights “the kidneys and liver as particularly important on which to focus such research as there was a clear negative impact on the function of these organs in rats consuming GM maize varieties for just 90 days.” To read the study, click here.
January 3, 2010
Call for moratorium on GM food
Noted scientist and founder of the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, P.M. Bhargava, has called for a moratorium of at least eight years on genetically modified (GM) food products in India. Inaugurating a national seminar on Bt. Brinjal and Alternatives in Agriculture at the Mararikulam Brinjal Festival here on Saturday, Dr. Bhargava said the moratorium period should be used to set up an independent laboratory in the public sector exclusively for risk assessment of GM products.
Read article in The Hindu (India)
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