GENET-news

24.11.2008

Critics gear up to challenge GEAC’s approval of GM crops in Indian Supreme Court

The critics of the transgenic technology in agriculture are gearing up to challenge the regulator’s decision in the Supreme Court for allowing limited field trial of several genetically modified (GM) food crops, including Monsanto India’s Hishell and 900M Gold corn hybrids.

24.11.2008

Monsanto beets down opposition to GE sugar beets

Kevin Golden, staff attorney for the Center for Food Safety, says the unknown long-term environmental risks of genetically modified crops outweigh short-term benefits. ”We admit Roundup is a less toxic alternative than a lot of the herbicides, but weed resistance is developing really fast,” Golden says. ”Eventually, Roundup becomes obsolete and farmers have to use these really nasty herbicides. It’s a self-defeating prophecy to use this as a silver bullet.”

24.11.2008

Indian Bt cotton farmers pip US counterparts in farm income

Indian cotton farmers have earned more income per hectare than their US counterparts, thanks to the adoption of genetically modified technology developed by companies like Monsanto, says a UK-based agri-economist. ”Farmers in developing countries like India are having better farm income benefits compared to the US, Australia and Argentina,” agri-economist Graham Brookes told PTI. After paying for GM technology, cotton farmers in India have earned an additional average income of 225 dollars (Rs 9,956) per hectare between 2002 and 2006 against 94 dollars per hectare in the US and 133 dollars per hectare in Argentina, he said.

21.11.2008

Who owns nature?

In a world where market research is becoming increasingly proprietary and pricey, ETC Group’s report names names, discloses market share and provides top 10 industry rankings up and down the corporate food chain. Not all the corporations identified in ETC Group’s new report are household names, but collectively they control a staggering share of the commercial products found on industrial farms, in our refrigerators and medicine cabinets.

21.11.2008

DEFRA (UK) responds to secret GM crop trial claims

DEFRA has said it cannot confirm reports suggesting that the government intends to conduct future genetically modified crop trials in secret. [...] a DEFRA official told Farmers Weekly that it was taking stock of the situation and that no announcements had been made on the measures. However, the official added: ”Sensible and credible decisions on GM organisms cannot be taken without solid scientific evidence.

21.11.2008

Coffee breeders select non-GE low-caffeine varieties

Mr. Illy assembled a team of nine agronomists and technicians, who spent the next five years identifying Laurina plants in the collection on which to build a low-caffeine bean. [...] By the time Illy began conducting more successful field tests of the plant in the rich volcanic soil of El Salvador in 2000, several companies had already begun assembling low-caf teams of their own, and others were soon to follow.

21.11.2008

Urgency eases for GM wheat as prices fall

The push to promote genetically modified (GM) wheat to combat global food shortages could slow as global commodity prices ease, a top industry executive said on Sunday. ”Now that prices have fallen off their peak, I don’t think it will be a priority,” said Vijay Iyengar, managing director of the Singapore-based grains trader Agrocorp International Pte Ltd.
”Because of the record high prices we saw the push for increasing supplies, and so the call for genetically modified grain seeds received a lot of attention.”

21.11.2008

Lake County Board (California, USA) focuses on forming GE advisory committee

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday directed that an advisory committee be formed to find a middle ground on the issue of genetically engineered (GE) in Lake County. During the hearing, which ran about a half hour, the board once more heard input both from those who favored a ban and those who oppose it, but the focus of the discussion was on the committee and how it could be formed to ensure that the different sides hear each other.

21.11.2008

Monsanto’s non-GE drought-resistant cotton only available with other GE traits

He says a variety with more efficient water use will perform better under irrigation and will exhibit a better yield response under stress. ”This will be a huge benefit to growers. We will have a broader base of tests across various environments and regions. Utilizing this testing platform and advances in our molecular breeding program we hope to identify lines that handle tough environmental conditions better.” [...] Conventional breeding remains an integral part of the process. ”That’s the basis of a stronger platform,” he says. But he does not expect conventional varieties to move the market.

20.11.2008

EU on track to grant quick approval for Monsanto soybean

European Union governments late Wednesday couldn’t agree on whether to allow Monsanto Co. to import a new genetically modified soybean, sending the decision back to the European Commission, the E.U.’s executive arm, where it is likely to be approved. [...] That is encouraging for some in the industry who have long complained that the E.U.’s system is unnecessarily slow. ”It’s moved faster than is usual in our industry,” said Nathalie Moll of EuropaBio, the lobbying group for the biotech industry in the E.U., ”but that’s the speed it should move at.”

20.11.2008

Poland to remain free of GMOs

Poland will remain free of GMOs but scientific institutions will be able to conduct research on genetically modified organisms – is today’s declaration of the Polish government. The cabinet has decided to allow specialized laboratories to continue work with GMOs, for instance testing new drugs or investigating genetic diseases, but the organisms must be kept separate from the natural environment and human beings.

20.11.2008

GE ’Enviropig’ may go to market in the USA

It’s been called ”Frankenfood.” But backers of genetically engineered meat say it’s just as tasty and safe for consumers as regular cuts from the butcher. We’re not talking about mad scientists holed up in castles. Some of the biggest links in the food chain are expecting farm animals with altered DNA to end up on the dinner plate -- unless the Food and Drug Administration says no. The creators of ”Frankenfood” push health and costs benefits, but diners also could be doing their part for the environment by gorging on modified pork chops in the not-too-distant future.

20.11.2008

GM canarypox vaccine gets green light in New Zealand

A live, genetically modified, canarypox virus vaccine has been given the green light to protect horses in New Zealand if there is a outbreak of equine influenza. If used, it will be the first time a genetically modified organism has been released into the environment. The Environmental Risk Management Authority (Erma) has approved an application by the Racing Board and Equine Health Association to use the vaccine under certain conditions.

20.11.2008

New Zealand’s authority amends AgResearch approvals for GE animal trials

The Environmental Risk Management Authority has made a minor amendment to the AgResearch field test approvals granted in November 1999 and May 2001 respectively, that allowed AgResearch to conduct contained field tests involving GM cattle. [...]
* No new GM cattle can be produced or bred from 18 November 2008.
* The existing GM animals can be kept in outdoor containment to allow for decisions to be made on new applications from AgResearch.
* If the new applications are declined, the GM animals must be euthanized within one year.

20.11.2008

Uganda GM banana fails to defeat diseases

A field trial of a Genetically-Modified (GM) banana variety in Uganda has failed to defeat the occurrence of banana diseases. The variety was attacked by Black Sigatoka disease, which can cut a banana tree’s fruit production by half. [...] ”Depending on where the gene was inserted, it expressed itself inside the crop in a different manner. Our next target will be to see which crop exhibits stronger resistance when the gene is inserted and then we can conduct more experiments,” Kiggundu noted.

19.11.2008

GEAC clears limited field trials of GM corn in India

The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has permitted Monsanto India Ltd to conduct limited field trials of corn hybrids that are genetically modified (GM) to confer resistance to the corn borer insect pest and application of its ’Roundup’ herbicide, according to highly placed sources. The sources said the clearance for ’bio-safety research level-1 field trials under confined conditions’ of the GM corn (maize) hybrids was granted at GEAC’s meeting last week.

19.11.2008

Bee learning behaviour affected by consumption of Bt Cry1Ab toxin

One of the speculated contributors to [the bee] decline is transgenic crops and specifically those containing Bt proteins since these are insect-active toxins to which bees are exposed through various routes. [...] Up to now however there has been no specific evidence that any Bt toxin has negative effects on bees, but equally such studies have been rare. Particularly lacking are studies on sub-lethal effects of Bt toxins on bees.

19.11.2008

Indian researchers develop non-GE ’TERI-DBT Bollcure’ bio-pesticide

With a vision to solve the cotton worm problem in India with environmentally benign solution, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), along with Department of Biotechnology facilitated the second technology transfer for Bollcure, a plant extract based bio-pesticide formulation developed by TERI, with PASURA Biotech Pvt. Ltd, Secunderabad. [...] Bollcure is a plant extract of Eucalyptus and it is 100% environment friendly, suitable for Conventional, Organic, Bt cotton and Integrated Pest Management crop practices

19.11.2008

Illegal Bt cotton cultivation serious threat to Orissa’s (India) agriculture

Orissa’s farmlands have become the battleground for several conflicting interests. There is the familiar battle over what should be grown — traditional food grains versus the more rewarding cash crops — but the more insidious battle is being waged over how the crops should be grown and what technology should be used. Cotton is the focus of this largely covert operation to wean farmers on a genetically modified (GM) regimen in a state which maintains that it intends to remain GM-free.

19.11.2008

GE crops to strengthen the existing practices to combat global food crisis

Talking about the international scenario, Dr Graham Brookes, Director of P G Economics, in his presentation said, ”Since 1996, biotech crop adoption has contributed to reducing the release of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, decreased pesticide spraying and significantly boosted farmers’ incomes. [...] World price levels of crops like corn and soybeans would also probably be higher than the current (record high) levels if this technology had not been widely adopted by farmers.”

19.11.2008

The return of Bt cotton in India

The little evidence available suggests it is not Bt cotton per se that is responsible for the worsening farmers’ livelihoods but the context in which it was introduced along with environmental factors. Of course, their conclusion remains to be verified by the groups opposed to introduction of GM crops. But till then, the evidence is mixed and there is very little information from credible sources on the extent of Bt cotton or its impact on farming.

18.11.2008

Transgenics sweep Argentina

Increasing soy demand leads to greater soil damage, land concentration and campesino migration as transgenic soy farming spreads. One year ago, the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) displaced the United States as the world´s largest grain producer, bolstered by growing global demand for transgenic grains, particularly soy for animal feed. The trade bloc´s production in 2007 reached 105 million tons of soy — 72 percent of global supply.

18.11.2008

Tumbling soybean prices worry Brazilian farmers

Within a decade, settlers founded the town of Primavera do Leste and rode a soybean boom that’s turned Brazil into a leading breadbasket to the world. Primavera do Leste swelled to 60,000 residents and is expected to double in size within 10 years. However, soybean prices have cratered in the past three months. Credit has disappeared. Many farmers face selling their crop next year at a loss, and they wonder how they’ll pay off loans taken out during the 2007-08 bumper harvest. In a town that’s dependent on soybean’s fortunes, fear and worry have replaced optimism and hopefulness.

18.11.2008

South Australian GE canola controversy

CROPS in South Australia being contaminated from genetically modified material from over the border is an inevitability, according to international environmental lawyer Duncan Currie, who visited Adelaide last week. This comes as GM farmers in Victoria opened up their farms to allow other growers to see the results of their first season of Roundup Ready canola. Early sowing and no cultivation, good weed management and more flexibility in cropping options were some of the reasons the farmers gave for opting to try GM canola in its first season.

18.11.2008

Australian canola trials biased to show GE success

Media has focussed on Andrew Weidermann’s GM trials in Victoria but these trials were manipulated to favour GM. The non-GM varieties could not perform to their full potential because standard weed control was avoided. [...] As GM and Clearfield hybrids were compared to non-hybrid TT varieties, it is expected that early vigour would be far better. It is of surprise that some RR hybrid varieties rated the same lack of early vigour as non-hybrid TT varieties.

18.11.2008

Testing time for GE canola contamination in Victoria (Australia)

AN anti-genetically modified canola lobbyist has urged Wimmera growers worried about GM contamination to test crops. Cropwatch and Network of Concerned Farmers member Jessica Harrison will test GM canola roadside plants and crops in the Wimmera for GM contamination after the coming GM canola harvest. Ms Harrison was in the Wimmera yesterday to alert Wimmera growers to the availability of a GM test kit.

18.11.2008

No research on effects of GM crop management on pests in Australia

According to ecological geneticist Dr Andrew Weeks from the University of Melbourne, there has been no research in Australia on the impact of how the management of GM crops will affect pests. ”It’s one of weak points at this stage of the whole GM debate,” he says. [”...] any new insecticidal transgene incorporated into crop plants must be thoroughly tested on a range of organisms and ecosystems,” the researchers write.

17.11.2008

Union of Concerned Scientists (USA) demands ban on outdoor production of GE pharma food crops

UCS urges APHIS to correct its irregular NEPA process by publishing an EIS on the proposed rule before issuing the final rule and to extend the comment period on the proposed rule for 60 days beyond the release of the EIS. UCS calls on APHIS to reconsider its weakening of pharma crop oversight. The agency should instead adopt a ban on all outdoor production of all pharma food crops.

17.11.2008

Tomatoes with added Viagra: how to get consumers to love GM crops

Should our response to these challenges include genetically modified (GM) crops? Most agricultural scientists say yes. So far the European consumer has said no. For the scientist, GM is an extension of the past 10,000 years of genetic modification by agricultural selection. It is precision engineering as opposed to the blunderbuss of conventional breeding, and has the potential to transform agriculture in regions left out of the green revolution, such as sub-Saharan Africa, by creating crops that are more nutritious, resistant to disease or drought, and can grow without chemical fertilisers. In other words GM could help to produce more and better food with less environmental damage.

17.11.2008

UK Government to defy critics with secret GM crop trials

Ministers are drawing up plans for genetically-modified crops to be grown in secret and more secure locations to prevent trials being wrecked by saboteurs. They may ask the police to target opponents of GM crops in the way that they have cracked down on animal rights protesters. Another option is for the controversial crops to be grown at a secure government site such as Porton Down near Salisbury, which carries out military research and includes a science park where they could be securely developed away from the public.

17.11.2008

Overwhelming majority of U.S. consumers want labels on food from cloned and GE animals

Nearly 7 in 10 American consumers believe that cloning of food animals should be prohibited and nearly 6 in 10 consumers polled are concerned about meat or milk products from cloned or genetically engineered animals. FDA recently proposed allowing these foods to be sold without labels.

17.11.2008

Gene-altered animals and food safety in the USA

Largely unnoticed due to the mayhem of the markets and the presidential race, the FDA recently proposed rules that would allow, for the first time, the marketing of foods from genetically engineered farm animals as well. Unlike clones - which are weirdly procreated from a single parent but are otherwise conventional creatures - engineered animals have had their DNA codes rewritten to endow them with traits never before seen in those species.

17.11.2008

Union of Concerned Scientists (USA) demands ban on outdoor production of GE pharma food crops

UCS urges APHIS to correct its irregular NEPA process by publishing an EIS on the proposed rule before issuing the final rule and to extend the comment period on the proposed rule for 60 days beyond the release of the EIS. UCS calls on APHIS to reconsider its weakening of pharma crop oversight. The agency should instead adopt a ban on all outdoor production of all pharma food crops.

17.11.2008

Six reasons why Obama appointing Monsanto’s buddy, former Iowa Governor Vilsack, for USDA head would be a terrible idea

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack’s support of genetically engineered pharmaceutical crops, especially pharmaceutical corn.
The biggest biotechnology industry group, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, named Vilsack Governor of the Year. He was also the founder and former chair of the Governor’s Biotechnology Partnership.

14.11.2008

GTC Biotherapeutics producing GE pharma goats delisted from NASDAQ Capital Market

GTC Biotherapeutics, Inc. received notice from the Listing Qualifications Staff of The NASDAQ Stock Market indicating that GTC no longer satisfies the minimum $2.5 million stockholders’ equity requirement for continued listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market, as set forth in Marketplace Rule 4310 (c)(3).

14.11.2008

Lake County (USA) GMO ban unlikely to survive

Lake County voters last week elected rancher James Compton to the board, tipping the board’s majority to 3-2 against the ban. ”I don’t believe the county should have an ordinance,” he said Tuesday, affirming his pre-election stance on the issue. Compton said the county should not be regulating farming practices, a view he shares with supervisors Rob Brown and Jeff Smith.

14.11.2008

City of Nelson (Canada) becomes a GE plant free zone

Acting as a pinnacle to our GE-Free Zones series, on November 3, 2008, the City of Nelson, B.C., officially became Canada’s third GE-Free zone. In a unanimous decision by the City Council, a resolution was adopted that expresses opposition to the ”cultivation of GE plants and trees”. Deconstructing Dinner was on hand to record the monumental decision.

14.11.2008

GE taro and coffee banned on Big Island (Hawai’i, USA)

The Hawaii County Council has voted to uphold a ban on genetically modified taro and coffee. Mayor Harry Kim initially vetoed the ban. Thursday the council voted seven to zero to override that veto. The decision makes it illegal to grow genetically engineered taro and coffee crops. Anyone caught could face a $1,000 fine. Those supporting the ban say they want to preserve the brand-name value of their crops.

14.11.2008

West Australian government accused of caving in to GM lobby

The West Australian government today announced it would lift a moratorium on the commercial production of GM cotton in the East Kimberley region’s Ord River Irrigation Area in the state’s north. Conservation Council director Piers Verstegen said the government had succumbed to pressure from the GM industry, despite community concerns.

14.11.2008

Government of Pakistan does not subsidies Monsanto’s Bt cotton

The government has turned down Monsanto’s offer of introducing second-generation technology of Bt cotton against billions of rupees as seed subsidy to the company for its intention of selling Bt cottonseed in the country. [...] The company during the next ten years of its technology transfers to the local seed companies would pocket $1.2 billion and the federal government would pay the sum in the name of seed subsidy to the company.

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