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2006-12-20 |

Rice seed industry votes against testing certified seed for GE

The rice seed industry has voted against USA Rice Federation’s plan to test certified rice seed for the presence of LL601 and LL62. While seedsmen pledged to work with the industry to help get commercial seed stocks of Cheniere out of the system, they voted against “running any tests on commercial seed stocks to provide any documents that are not required by law. The retail invoice for certified seed shall be the only documentation delivered to purchasers at the time of sale.” The seedsmen approved the position at a meeting of the industry’s Certified Rice Seed Channel on Dec. 15 in Memphis. A statement said the Federation’s proposal “will require substantial additional costs to the industry for no useful purpose, creating the risk that legal seed stocks could be eliminated from the marketplace.”

2006-12-20 |

Buying babies, bit by bit - An international guide to baby-making

ONE of the tests of a liberal society is whether the state stays out of the bedroom—but more than 3m people alive now were not made in bedrooms. They came into being as a result of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) under the glare of laboratory lights, with the assistance of a team of doctors, nurses and technicians. [...] Since the manufacturing of anything which is regarded as God-given—or at least natural—touches a moral nerve, governments tend to want to regulate the business. And because attitudes to the family vary from country to country, regulations about baby-making do too. Discerning baby-shoppers therefore assemble inputs from around the world—sperm from Denmark, an egg from Russia, a surrogate mother from California—to ensure that biology, for them, need not mean destiny. Some even switch countries midway through treatment, starting in Britain, say, and travelling to Russia, Spain or America at a crucial stage in the proceedings.

2006-12-20 |

Funding boost for Queensland University of Technology world-class banana research

A $5.1 million Queensland University of Technology research project, backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, that aims to improve the health of East Africans will be stepped up thanks to a massive funding boost. QUT has been awarded $3.6 million to expand its world-class research into improving the production and nutritional value of bananas - the staple food of the people of Uganda and their East African neighbours. [...] QUT scientists have been successfully researching methods to improve the nutrient content of the East African Highland Banana through genetically improved breeding programs for the past 18 months.

2006-12-20 |

Most GE-contaminated corn now destroyed

All but about 50ha of the sweetcorn crops grown with seed contaminated with genetically engineered seeds in the Gisborne and Hawke's Bay regions has been destroyed. Biosecurity officials last week ordered 258.4ha of Hawke's Bay and Gisborne sweetcorn crops planted with 1807kg of contaminated seed to be harrowed, with the growing plants chopped and buried.

2006-12-20 |

U.S. cancels VaxGen’s $877.5 million contract to make anthrax vaccine

In a major setback for the nations efforts to counter bioterrorism, federal officials Tuesday canceled their $877.5 million contract with Brisbane-based VaxGen for an improved anthrax vaccine, because the company was behind schedule developing it. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sent VaxGen a letter terminating the contract, awarded in March 2004, citing the company’s failure to meet a deadline Monday for beginning a key test of the vaccine in people. The contract had been the largest issued under President Bush’s Project BioShield, a $5.6 billion program to counter bioterrorism over 10 years. Under the contract, VaxGen was to have provided 75 million doses of the vaccine, which were to be stockpiled for civilian use in case of an anthrax attack on the country.

2006-12-20 |

Aussie stem cell trial wins US approval

A world-first Australian medical therapy that uses stem cells to treat degenerative spinal disease has been approved for testing on patients in the US. Researchers hope the treatment will replace painful bone grafts. A Melbourne-based biotechnology company said it had won approval from the US government for its adult stem cell treatment to be used in a major trial.

2006-12-19 |

EFSA launches public consultation on GMO feeding trials

EFSA has launched a public consultation on the use of animal feeding trials to assess the safety and nutritional value of GM food or feed. EFSA’s GMO Panel discussed the different types of scientific tests available including the use of animal feeding trials and made a number of recommendations. This work aims at providing further guidance on risk assessment approaches for GM food and feed, which may also be relevant for other areas of food and feed safety assessment. Views of all stakeholders and interested parties are now being sought before final recommendations are agreed.

2006-12-19 |

New potato variety boasts less acrylamide, better aroma

Scientists at the University of Idaho have produced a genetically modified potato variety of Ranger Russet with enhanced French fry aroma, and reduced amounts of processing-induced acrylamide. And since the genetic modification was accomplished without inserting any foreign genetic material into the potato's genome, the researchers hope to calm any consumer concerns about the new spud variety. [...] Sensory evaluations, by a panel of eight professionally trained experts, also showed that, somewhat unexpectedly, the sensory attributes were enhanced in the 'intragenic' spuds. "Our results demonstrate that a multigene silencing construct enhanced the performance of Ranger Russet in seven different ways: black spot bruise resistance, reduced cold-induced sweetening, reduced stress-induced sugar ends, enhanced fry aroma, reduced amounts of processing-induced acrylamide, reduced starch phosphate content, and increased starch," wrote the researchers.

2006-12-19 |

EU upholds Austria’s sovereign right to ban GMOs

EU ministers slapped down an attempt on Monday to order Austria to drop its bans on two genetically modified (GMO) maize types, delivering a second stinging rebuff to the EU’s executive European Commission. Between 1997 and 2000, five EU countries banned specific GMOs on their territory, focusing on three maize and two rapeseed types approved shortly before the start of the EU’s six-year moratorium on new biotech authorisations. The Commission’s draft order, proposed in response to a World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling that attacked the various so-called national GMO safeguards for breaking international trade rules, was roundly rejected by EU environment ministers.

2006-12-19 |

Indian Supreme Court has imposed

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests on Monday said that the Supreme Court has imposed a "No Restriction" order on the ongoing field trials of Genetically Modified (GM) crops and that the field trials being conducted with the approval of the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) and the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) are 'legal'. The Ministry also made it clear that before declaring the field trials as illegal, documentary evidence on the approval issued by the RCGM and the status of compliance in respect of physical and biological containment stipulated in the approval order may be verified.

2006-12-19 |

U.S. cotton industry on alert for herbicide resistant weed

The cotton industry is concerned about the discovery of a herbicide-resistant weed that spreads easily, can grow an inch a day even during droughts and could force farmers to return to older growing methods that were harsher on the environment. "It is potentially the worse threat since the boll weevil," said Alan York, weed scientist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, referring to the voracious beetle that devastated Southern cotton crops in the early 1900s and forced farmers to switch to alternatives such as peanuts. The boll weevil was eradicated in some states in the late 1970s and early 1980s, paving the way for the return of cotton as one of the nation's major crops, worth $4.7 billion. It is grown in 16 states from coast to coast.

2006-12-19 |

Separation of GM grains is manageable in Australia

While any requirement to keep non-GM grain separate from GM grains throughout the grain supply chain in Australia will impose costs on Australia’s grains industry, it appears that the costs are modest and manageable, according to a new research report by ABARE. The report, GM Grains in Australia: Identity Preservation, was released today by Mr Phillip Glyde, Executive Director of ABARE.

2006-12-18 |

CTNBio may approve Monsanto’s transgenic

Since it was instituted for the first time in the current format, in October 2005, the Comissão Técnica Nacional de Biossegurança (CTNBio) [National Technical Committee on Biosafety] did not hold a meeting with such high quorum. Yesterday, the second day of the meeting that ends today, 26 of the 27 counselors were present to appraise the controversial discussion on the commercial release of transgenic corn. With an almost complete quorum, comes the unheard of opportunity to plant a variety of transgenic corn in Brazil. The voting should be made today. Since 1998, Bayer has waited for the approval of their gluphosinate ammonium resistant seed. But it is not this time that they should have their product approved. Instead, which is judicially barred, the Commission might release Monsanto’s insect tolerant product.

2006-12-18 |

Monsanto affiliate’s former directors fined 30,000 euros by French court

The high court of Carcassone (Aude) sentenced two ex-directors of the American seed company Monsanto's former subsidiary Asgrow, Jean-Bernard Bonastre et Serge Reymond, to pay fines of [Euro]15,000 each on Wednesday afternoon. According to Michel Dupont, trade union organiser in charge of GMOs with the farm organisation Confederation Paysanne, the defendants were found guilty on four counts of (a) having placed a genetically modified organism on the market without authorisation, (b) sale and storage of a falsified, corrupt or toxic agricultural product, (c ) fraudulent advertising, and (e) deception on the nature and quality of merchandise in 1999 and 2000. In April 2006, the General Directorate for Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) discovered low level but illegal traces of GMOs in soya during a routine inspection of the Groupe Cooperative Occitan (Tarn).

2006-12-18 |

African-American organization urges FDA to stop deceptive marketing of ’no rBST’ milk

The National Organization for African Americans in Housing (NOAAH), a non-profit advocate for low-income citizens, has called on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to stop dairy processors from deceptively marketing ”no rBST” milk, which is identical to other milk but costs more. In a letter to the FDA, NOAAH Board Secretary Kevin Marchman said the milk processors making these claims are presenting low-income consumers with a horrible choice: spend limited food money on higher-priced milk that is identical to less expensive products, or serve their families milk which they believe to be lower in quality and less safe than what others can afford.

2006-12-18 |

US patent on modified Thai papaya upsets BioThai

he Agriculture Department should object to a US government move to grant exclusive rights for a genetically modified (GM) papaya - developed from papaya native to Thailand - to a team of American researchers and Cornell University's research arm, Thai activists say. Witoon Lienchamroon, director of BioThai, a non-profit group that works to protect farmers' rights and bio-diversity, said the patent would set a precedent that might aid developed countries more advanced in biotechnology and intellectual property rights to exploit the biological resources of Thailand.

2006-12-18 |

Genetic panel to examine Delhi University field trials

Map of Indian GE rice field trials Map of Indian GE rice field trials

The Supreme Court has asked the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) to examine the impact of ongoing Delhi University field trials on genetically modified DMH-11 mustard variety in the light of expert opinion that such exercises are toxic and harmful.

2006-12-18 |

Only 3-5 fully capable biotechnology centres in Pakistan

An international organisation has found find only three to five centres in Pakistan, out of total 28 claiming to be involved in biotechnology, capable of doing DNA recombination research of genetically modified crops. “The government of Pakistan continues to envision biotechnology as high priority area and has funded more than one billion rupees ($16.7 million) on research and development in this sector through various ministries and Higher Education Commission (HEC),” said an Agricultural Biotechnology Report 2006 for Pakistan issued by the United States Department of Agriculture. “Out of 28 centres claiming to be involved in biotechnology only a few (3-5) are capable of doing DNA recombination research of genetically modified crops.”

2006-12-18 |

Farmer quits GM trial after phone threats

A Derbyshire farmer has pulled out of a GM crop trial due in the new year, citing fears for his personal safety. The German plant science company BASF confirmed it was looking for a new site to conduct a trial of GM potatoes after the unnamed farmer in Draycott, Derbyshire, withdrew yesterday. He is believed to have received anonymous phone calls about his involvement in the trials. [...] Derbyshire police last night said they were unable to comment on the situation.

2006-12-18 |

Fraunhofer CMB receives Gates Foundation grant to develop innovative malaria vaccines

The Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology ("Fraunhofer CMB") announced today the receipt of a $3.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the development of transmission-blocking vaccines against malaria. To achieve the goals of this project, Fraunhofer CMB will employ its proprietary platform technology to produce lifesaving vaccines in non-genetically modified plants. [...] This is the third grant that Fraunhofer CMB has received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support development of vaccines using its plant- based platform. A $2.7 million award for development of novel subunit vaccines against influenza was announced last week. Fraunhofer CMB was also the recipient of a $1.2 million Gates Foundation grant in 2005 for pre-clinical studies towards the development of a vaccine against African trypanosomiasis.

2006-12-18 |

Scientists clone 3 more Afghan hounds

A team of South Korean scientists, credited with producing the world’s first cloned dog last year, claimed Sunday that they have cloned three puppies of the same species. Lee Byung-chun, a veterinary professor at state-run Seoul National University, was a member of the team, led by disgraced cloning scientist Hwang Woo-suk, who cloned an Afghan Hound, named Snuppy, for the first time last year.

2006-12-15 |

Biotech industry publishes new policy agenda for Europe – foreword by Finnish Presidency

The European biotech industry has today published a new Industrial Biotechnology Policy Agenda for Europe. Over the last two years the industry has worked out a set of practical steps to realise the vision of a Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy (KBBE), where biotechnology’s new, clean, energy-efficient processes and innovative bio-based products create a sustainable industrial base to ensure Europe’s future prosperity. But, without active political encouragement and incentives, the full benefits will not be achieved, and other trading partners will reap the rewards.

2006-12-15 |

Austria likely to escape EU order to lift GMO bans

Austria may escape another order to lift its two bans on genetically modified (GMO) maize varieties as EU ministers prepare to deliver a second rebuff to the European Commission, officials said on Thursday. [...] To force Austria to lift its bans, the Commission will need to secure a weighted majority of EU ministers in favour of its draft orders. There can also be a weighted majority against, when the Commission would withdraw the orders and reconsider. While the positions of nearly all the 25 countries are already known, three states are wavering -- Germany, Portugal and Spain. Under the EU's complex weighted voting system, Germany and Spain carry a lot of influence. But they are still not expected to vote in favour, so the vote's outcome is almost certain to amount to a rejection of the Commission order.

2006-12-14 |

A failure of hope

Josef Stalin, who would have known, is said to have told Winston Churchill at Potsdam in 1945, "A single death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic." [...] Most African nations are leery of genetically modified plants, even those that could save millions of their people from famine. [...] From an American point of view, this is maddening. As Mr. Hand notes, Americans believe in taking great risks to achieve great rewards. Europeans, and in this case Africans, culturally are more cautious; they prefer to wait on a sure thing. They also prefer to protect their own products from foreign competitors. Still there is hope in the cassava project, and inspiration. That American genius and generosity, nurtured in St. Louis, one day might help save millions of lives is no small thing. But there is frustration, too, in that politicians and bureaucrats in Europe and Africa would act out of fear rather than hope, would rather see hunger as a statistic, not a tragedy.

2006-12-14 |

Contaminated corn importer plans compo

American seed company Syngenta hopes to sort out compensation issues over its shipment of sweet corn seed contaminated with genetically engineered material as quickly as possible, a spokesman said today. A border bungle this year has led to an estimated 4420kg of sweet corn seed being investigated for possible contamination. About two-thirds of the seed has been planted in the Hawke's Bay, and near Gisborne and Ashburton.

2006-12-14 |

Rasi Seeds likely to launch GM bajra hybrids in kharif ’07

For the kharif 2007 season (July-October), Salem-based private seed major Rasi Seeds (RSPL) is planning to launch a range of genetically-modified (GM) bajra or pearl millet hybrids covering all the major bajra-growing states in the country. RSPL’s MD M Ramasami told ET that after a successful trial marketing in kharif 2006 season, the company is launching hybrid bajra in collaboration with Icrisat, Hyderabad. The two hybrids, Rasi 4461 and Rasi 3051, will target markets in Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. “Farmers’ reports are in favour of the product and the next season will be dominated by GM versions,” he added.

2006-12-13 |

USDA raises rice export forecast

Even though the European Union still isn't buying U.S. rice, USDA says U.S. rice exports are climbing. Although the European Union still won't buy U.S. rice due to concerns about unapproved biotech rice in shipments, USDA raised its forecast for U.S. rice exports in its December supply and demand report.

2006-12-13 |

DuPont further strengthens seed business with second Chinese joint venture

Yesterday DuPont announced that its subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. , has formed a joint venture with one of China’s largest seed production companies, Dunhuang Seed Co. Ltd., to provide top-performing corn hybrids to Chinese farmers in the spring market. “I’m excited about the opportunities for the Pioneer business in China and the increased productivity that we can bring to Chinese farmers,” said Paul Schickler, vice president, Pioneer International Operations. “This partnership brings together two strong seed companies and combines their strengths to benefit the agricultural industry.”

2006-12-13 |

EU court asked to fine France over national GMO law

France may face a fine of more than 38 million euros (US$50.3 million) from Europe's top court for its failure to update national laws on genetically modified (GMO) crops and foods, the European Commission said on Tuesday. The Commission, the EU executive, has often warned France to comply with EU law and integrate into its national statute book an EU directive on the environmental release of GMOs. Apart from the lump sum fine, the Commission also asked the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to order Paris to pay 366,744 euros a day until French law adequately reflected the EU directive, it said in a statement.

2006-12-13 |

FSANZ receives submissions for GM soybeans and rice

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has released its plans for the latest amendments to the Food Standards Code, including approval of food from GM varieties of soybean and rice, permission to increase the amount of water used in winemaking, labelling requirements for catered and delivered meals, and a new national food safety standard for the egg industry.

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