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2007-05-18 |

Allied with Brazilian agribusiness, Syngenta resists governor’s decree to expropriate site

March 14 marked the one-year anniversary of the Via Campesina’s non-violent occupation of Syngenta Seeds’ experimental test site in Brazil. Last year 600 members of the Via Campesina occupied the 123-hectare site in Santa Tereza do Oeste, in the state of Paraná, after it was discovered that Syngenta had illegally planted 12 hectares of genetically modified soybeans at the site. Syngenta’s plantation was located within the protective boundary zone of the Iguaçu National Park (the boundary distance has since been modified), which was declared Patrimony of Humanity by the United Nations in 1986. The occupation has become one the most powerful symbols in the world of civil society’s resistance to agribusiness, as it continues to paralyze all of Syngenta’s activities at the site, costing the corporation tens of millions of dollars. It also spurred Paraná state Governor Roberto Requião to sign a decree on November 9, 2006 to expropriate the site for the public interest. Yet despite Requião’s decree, the magnitude of Syngenta’s environmental crime, and continuous pressure from social movements and civil society around the world, the realization of the expropriation of the site from Syngenta is threatened due to the immense power of agribusiness in Brazilian politics.

2007-05-18 |

Monsanto-Delta deal nears U.S. antitrust OK

U.S. antitrust authorities are poised to approve plans by biotech crop developer Monsanto Co. to buy Delta and Pine Land Co. on the condition that the companies divest some key assets, a source familiar with the deal said on Thursday. Antitrust officials at the Justice Department are working out final details of a settlement deal that would require the companies to sell some genetic material owned by Delta and Pine that is used to develop new cotton seed varieties, the source said. The genetic material, known as germplasm, would be sold to a rival company in the business, the source said.

2007-05-18 |

Organic animal agriculture threatened by genetically engineered alfalfa

Genetically modified alfalfa presents significantly different challenges than any other previous GE crop introduction. These differences mean the introduction of GE alfalfa could have significant economic impact on producers of organic forage and animal products. The differences directly relate to the biological differences between alfalfa and the grain crops and the way seed is produced.

2007-05-18 |

In Brazil, Bayer’s GMO corn has one more political hurdle

German multinational Bayer CropScience got the green light to sell its LibertyLink transgenic corn in Brazil, but the company faces one more hurdle before the country’s farmers are allowed to plant the product. ”We said the technical part of LibertyLink is okay, but the product still has to go through 11 different ministries who will have the final say on the political viability of GMO corn in Brazil,” said Rachel Mortari, a press agent for the country’s biosafety commission, CTNBio.

2007-05-18 |

USDA approves planting of GE pharma rice in Kansas

Ventria Bioscience has received regulatory approval to plant bioengineered rice in Kansas. Three Kansas producers began planting a combined total of about 250 acres of the rice on Thursday. The rice has been genetically modified to produce proteins found in human breast milk, saliva and tears. Ventria will use it in a pharmaceutical product that will lessen the severity and duration of diarrhea in infants and children.

2007-05-17 |

EU Ag Commissioner impressed by U.S. farm size, wishes to speed up GE crop approvals

There are signs of the European Union loosening its stance on accepting products originating from genetically enhanced crops. There are 11 genetically enhanced products that have been approved by the EU and 14 more that are in the approval pipeline, according to Mariann Fischer Boel, Agriculture Commissioner of the EU. Further concessions may have to be made to get the products the EU needs, says Fischer Boel. ”I think that we have to review very seriously the speed with which we approve new (genetically modified products),” said Fischer Boel in response to questions following her address to the World Agriculture Forum this week in St. Louis, ”otherwise we might face a situation where there will be no imports available.”

2007-05-17 |

CAST paper examines the role of transgenic livestock in the treatment of human disease

The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) is releasing a new Issue Paper, The Role of Transgenic Livestock in the Treatment of Human Disease. [...] Transgenic livestock have the potential to play a critical role in the production of new medications for the treatment of human disease.

2007-05-17 |

Macaque genome sequenced?

Researchers have sequenced the genome of the rhesus macaque, providing more precise data on how humans are genetically different from primates. Sequencing the macaque genome not only benefits research in human health but expands the understanding of primate evolution. More than 170 scientists from 35 institutions worked on the macaque genome project, and they published their findings in several articles in the April 13 issue of Science, a special edition devoted to the discovery.

2007-05-17 |

Mosquito bacteria identified in malaria battle

Scientists in Italy say they have identified a potential weapon against malaria living inside the blood-sucking mosquitoes that spread the disease -- their internal bacteria. [...] Such bacteria could potentially be genetically altered later to attack the malaria parasite when it reaches the mosquito, said Daniele Daffonchio at the Universita degli Studi di Milano, one of five Italian universities behind the research.

2007-05-17 |

GM ban could land Cyprus in hot water

CYPRUS’ refusal to conform to EU directives over the importation of biofuels has not gone unnoticed by the EU, which has already delayed sanctioning the island over the matter. The House Environment Committee yesterday held an extraordinary meeting to examine why President Tassos Papadopoulos had referred a law, which was voted by Parliament and banned the importation and cultivation of genetically modified plants that produce biofuels.

2007-05-17 |

Non-GE solution found for cassava root-rot devastation in Africa

Starting where the virus itself did, in Zanzibar, they have toughened up some popular local varieties by cross-breeding them with other, less popular varieties that seem to tolerate the new virus. The first trials have proved successful, and farmers are clamouring for the new varieties - especially one based on a local variety called kiroba, which is a favourite because of its sweet taste and smooth texture. Last month the Zanzibar ministry officially released some of the new varieties to farmers, moving from trials to a fully operational project.

2007-05-16 |

GMO Certification to drive prices by 0,5 to 15 percent

The voluntary certification for absence of genetically modified organisms (GMO) in the foods is turning into a compulsory requirement, food an
d drink producers said in the complaint lodged to the consumer market department of Moscow government. [...] So, some biggest retailers – Pyaterochka and Sedmoi Continent, for instance, - have strongly recommended to producers to have the ”No GMO!” mark for foods delivered from June 15. This action will fuel the prices by 0.5 percent to 15 percent, the analysts forecast.

2007-05-16 |

Researchers put GM sweet banana on trial in Uganda this month

Uganda will this week import genetically modified sweet banana plants from Belgium for field trials. The transgenic plants — plants that possess a gene or genes that have been transferred from a different species — are resistant to pests and disease. The GM sweet banana locally known as ”bogoya” and mostly eaten as a dessert, will from this month, be tested at the Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) for resistance to the notorious bacterial wilt and Black Sigatoka fungal disease. Field results are expected within 5-10 years.

2007-05-16 |

Future of biotechnology in India

An untested technology is never safe to be unleashed freely. If you have a technology, there is also a need of a regulatory system to control it. This is not so in India. For years we have been witnessing the proliferation of Bt. Cotton, and the socio-economic hazards spelled by it. Illegal varieties of seeds like Navbharat seeds are entering the market without any check. The companies are fuelling that it’s a great success. But we are witnessing our farmers committing suicides. Huge input costs combined with crop failures are spelling disaster. Several independent studies, NGO reports, and State governments have proved that Bt. cotton has failed very badly, at least in rain fed areas, yet there is neither any policy to check it nor any investigation going on to survey the connection between the crop failure and farmer suicides.

2007-05-16 |

GM critics ignorant, says chief scientist of Australia

AUSTRALIA’S chief scientist has criticised opponents of genetic modification, describing them as ”unprincipled minorities” that were spreading false facts and hype. Speaking at a conference in Melbourne, Jim Peacock said those circulating misinformation about GM were largely ”self-serving organic farmers and ill-informed environmental activists”. His comments were made during a session on biotechnology and food at the Future Summit, where Victoria’s chief scientist, Sir Gustav Nossal, said he believed resistance to GM was starting to wane. ”The fear I think is gradually and slowly receding,” Sir Gustav said after the session. ”But I also think this is something that doesn’t need to be rushed.”

2007-05-16 |

Farmers outraged at Victorian contamination plan

The Network of Concerned Farmers was outraged today at news that the Victorian State Government plans to lift the moratorium on genetically modified crops. The key issue of concern for the NCF is the unfair costs and liabilities that will be imposed on non-GM farmers due to the problems associated with segregating GM from non-GM crops in order to supply markets that are GM sensitive. [...] ”The beneficiaries of GM crops are the patent holders, the GM companies, the seed industry, the research sector and the governments who are encouraging corporate investment into research and development and planning to cash in on the technology patents they currently own,” explained Mrs Newman. ”If politicians want Australian farmers to follow in the footsteps of US and Canadian farmers who have faced additional costs, intimidating contracts and plummeting market acceptance of GM food crops, they should also be prepared to match the massive subsidies given to growers of GM food crops.”

2007-05-16 |

Bracks Government (Victoria, Australia) takes a careful approach on GM

The Bracks Government will consult widely with industry groups and the community before making a decision on whether to continue a moratorium on commercial planting of Genetically Modified (GM) canola, Minister for Agriculture, Joe Helper, said today. ”The current moratorium is due to expire on 29 February 2008. No decision has been made on whether to extend the moratorium or allow it to expire,” Mr Helper said. ”The Bracks Government will be consulting industry groups and the community before taking any such decision.

2007-05-15 |

Effort launched to stop GE eucalyptus plantations in US Southeast

As the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) wraps up its annual convention in Boston, the STOP GE Trees Campaign and member groups from around the U.S., including Dogwood Alliance, WildLaw, Southern Forests Network, Sierra Club and Global Justice Ecology Project are uniting to stop the plans of GE tree giant ArborGen to release genetically engineered eucalyptus trees in the southeast U.S.
ArborGen, which was a co-sponsor of the BIO convention, is laying the groundwork for massive plantations of non-native eucalyptus trees genetically engineered to be cold tolerant for biofuels and paper pulp. In addition to the cold tolerance trait, these eucalyptus have been engineered for other traits which ArborGen refuses to reveal. News articles and reports indicate these traits likely include reduced lignin content and the ability to kill insects.

2007-05-15 |

Genetically modified rice sales facing resistance

Continued resistance over sales of genetically modified (GM) rice in the US and its non-acceptance in the European Union (EU) have threatened the success of the transgenic hybrid seeds in the agriculture sector, according to a Rabobank report published on Thursday. India, the world’s second largest rice producer after China with a capacity of 91 million tonnes (MT) is also facing resistance over the use of GM seeds. [...] Burdened with strict regulations, the EU has banned imports of US rice. Until the discovery of the GM variety LL 601, the EU had purchased about 250,000 tonnes (milled-equivalent basis) of rice annually from the US. While sales of milled rice to other markets may increase, these sales will not cover the gap left by the loss of a major share of the EU market, the report said.

2007-05-15 |

States introduce numerous bills to regulate genetically modified foods

Following a two-year span during which the corporate farming sector lobbied heavily in support of state bills aimed at keeping local governments from regulating genetically modified organisms (GMOs), 2007 state legislatures are now filled with bills confirming farmer and consumer concerns about such foods and crops. It has been a decade since multinational corporations began blanketing the planet with their patented varieties of genetically modified seed. With little government oversight, poll after poll has shown that consumers would like to see greater supervision of genetic engineering including all-out limitations on their cultivation.

2007-05-15 |

Silkworms spin a rainbow - for now in yellow

Why take all the trouble to dye silk when silkworms can be genetically modified to spin any colour of the rainbow? [...] For starters, the researchers have produced silkworms that make yellow silk. But they say that in the future, the worms could be manipulated to produce flesh-coloured or reddish silk.

2007-05-15 |

Ban on trials of GM crops to continue

The GM industry has nothing to cheer about. SC has not vacated its order on fresh field trials of genetically modified crops. The apex court has only allowed ongoing and earlier approved trials to continue, while not vacating the ban that it had imposed in an interim order of September 22, 2006, banning any fresh field trials of GM crops. [...] Meanwhile, the lawyer for the petitioners in the case, Prashant Bhushan, has sent a legal notice to the environment ministry for the ”misinterpretation” of the SC order by minister of state for environment and forests, Namo Narain Meena.

2007-05-15 |

How much Bt toxin do genetically engineered MON810 maize plants actually produce?

In the growing season 2006, Greenpeace took leaf samples of commercially cultivated MON810 maize plants in Germany and Spain to determine the Bt toxin (Cry1Ab) concentration. A total of 619 samples from 12 fields were analysed using ELISA tests. [...] This Greenpeace study shows a surprising pattern of plants that contained only very low Bt toxin levels. However, high levels could be observed in some plants. The variation found on the same field on the same day was considerable, and could differ by a factor of as much as 100. This is in agreement with the results of a new study published in April 2007 that concludes that ”the monitoring of Cry1Ab expression [of MON810 plants] showed that the Cry1Ab concentrations varied strongly between different plant individuals.”

2007-05-14 |

Vietnam looks to develop GM crops by 2020

Vietnam has stated that the country will be producing genetically modified (GM) crops by 2020 in a draft of a biotechnology development plan authored by the Ministry of Industry. In addition to GM crops, enzymes, amino acids, new generation vaccines, antibiotics and other bio products will be produced by the country by 2020. Two hi-biotechnology centres will be built in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and a number of international standard research and development centres will be set up nationwide to enable the plan’s success.

2007-05-14 |

Non-GE rice with bacterial leaf blight resistance genes developed

The farmers of the traditional Basmati growing areas of Haryana, Punjab, J&K, Delhi and Uttarakhand will get new rice variety having higher yield (37 q/ha) than Pusa Basmati 1. Pusa 1460 (IET 18990) is developed by pyramiding bacterial leaf blight (BLB) resistance genes (xa13 & Xa21) in the background of Pusa Basmati 1 through marker assisted backcross breeding.

2007-05-14 |

’European Union not opposed to GM crops’

Genetically Modified crops from African countries will not be denied entry into the European Union (EU), top research scientists have said. Speaking at an AfricaBio Biotechnology Communicators training workshop in Pretoria, South Africa recently, the International Agro Biotechnology Research Specialist, Willy de Greef, said the EU was not opposed to the development of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). ”We are concerned that you always do not hear the truth. It is often claimed that the EU is opposed to GMOs. Many people have been told negative things, but we will continue with the meetings to ensure that the technology is adopted,” Mr Greef said.

2007-05-14 |

Remember GM is bankrolled by Big Agribusiness

The proposed end of the GM ban in Victoria is about agriculture. [...] Now the pro-GM publicity machine is highlighting the potential to create crops that use less water. Such claims might prove true but we should be clear about one thing: GM is bankrolled by huge multi-national corporations that stand to make huge money. That is why they can afford the best spin doctors and lobbyists that money can buy. To ask Big Agribusiness about GM is a little like consulting Big Tobacco about the risks of smoking.

2007-05-14 |

”Bt cotton has failed in Vidarbha m

If any proof about failure of genetically modified Bt cotton in the main cotton growing area of Vidarbha was needed, it came on Wednesday from Maharashtra agriculture minister Balasaheb Thorat. After a meeting with agriculture experts, officials, people’s representatives for the coming Kharif season, Thorat admitted that the much-hyped, and high-priced Bt seeds were only adding to the burden of Vidarbha’s farmers. Thorat said the opening of Bt to more private companies was likely to bring down the prices and make it more affordable for farmers.

2007-05-11 |

Ghana to accept GM products soon?

Information gathered by The Statesman reveals that the international community has began workshops for stakeholders in a bid to educate and persuade them to accept genetically modified foods in Ghana. A source at the headquarters of the Food and Drugs Board have hinted that a bill has been drafted and expected to be presented to Parliament for adoption and approval on how GM foods would be regulated if allowed to circulate in the local market.

2007-05-11 |

Study examines potential impact of GM canola on organic sectors in Australia

The commercialisation of GM canola in Australia is likely to have only negligible direct impacts on the organic canola, livestock and honey industries according to a new ABARE report. [...] The report investigates the potential economic impacts of the commercialisation of GM canola in Australia on domestic organic agriculture, and looks into the treatment of GMOs in organic certification standards in Australia and in Australia’s main organic trade partners.

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