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2007-03-08 |

’Gene deleting’ tool could lead to safer GM crops

Scientists from both China and the United States have devised a technique that could prevent the flow of transgenic genes into non-biotech crops — and might end the long-standing debate on terminator genes. The development could free poor farmers from dependence on companies that sell genetically modified (GM) seeds, suggest the researchers. The GM-gene-deletor system successfully removed transgenic genes from the seeds and pollen of GM tobacco.

2007-03-08 |

Food for thought: Russia joins the battle over GM products

On July 1, the city of Moscow will introduce a voluntary system of food labels indicating that a product does not contain genetically modified (GM) ingredients.
Europe has recently been engaged in a battle with the World Trade Organization (WTO), which, taking its cue from the United States, Canada and Argentina, considers the European Union’s moratorium on GM products illegal. Meanwhile, Europeans have been collecting signatures and protesting against GM foods. In the United States, a lawsuit was filed against the Department of Agriculture after it legalized the commercial production of genetically modified alfalfa sprouts. The court found the agency’s actions illegal. All these events, which involve environmental, agricultural, social and political issues, unfolded during the month of February, highlighting the high profile taken on by the GM controversy. Nevertheless, it would be naive to expect the world to adopt a unified stance on the issue.

2007-03-08 |

GM advances aim to alter Eastern European perceptions

The growing commercialization and continued innovation of genetically modified crops (GM) could have significant benefits for the food industry in Eastern Europe over the coming decade, says a leading Biotech expert.
In a conversation with CEE-Foodindustry.com, Europabio’s Simon Barber explained that the increasing applications of GM like drought resistant crops will continue to change European perceptions on their use. [...] Despite countries like Slovakia and the Czech Republic using insect resistant maize for feed purposes, GM use is limited particularly in the developing markets of Central and Eastern Europe due to moral and health concerns.

2007-03-08 |

Tough GM salmon lose their nerve in the ’wild’ - life

Some genetically modified fish appear to undergo a personality change when they leave laboratory conditions for a more natural environment, according to new research. Transgenic fish that behave ferociously in a bare tank, appear meek under more natural conditions, meaning it will not be easy for biologists to predict the ecological consequences of escaped GM animals. Salmon genetically engineered to overproduce growth hormone can put on up to 25 times the weight of wild salmon and could provide ”aqua-culturists” with a faster way to raise fish to market size. However, lab tests suggested that transgenic fish are more aggressive predators than wild salmon, raising concerns that they could harm native fish if they escape into the wild.

2007-03-08 |

Farmers ask U.S. Federal Court to stop predatory pricing of glyphosate by Monsanto

American Corn Growers Association (ACGA) has filed a lawsuit in federal court to halt the anticompetitive practices of Monsanto as they relate to the marketing of Roundup® herbicide. The antitrust action, filed in the United States Court for the District of Delaware, alleges that Monsanto has violated federal and state antitrust laws by using its monopoly power in the herbicide market and biotechnology seed trait markets to unlawfully monopolize and restrain competition in the market for glyphosate herbicides, and has otherwise acted to maintain supra-competitive pricing for its glyphosate herbicides.

2007-03-08 |

Monsanto, Solae make healthier beans

Monsanto Co. announced a partnership Wednesday with one of its rivals to develop new soybean products that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. The partnership with Solae Co. will speed research programs at both companies to develop a healthier soybean oil, according to the firms. Solae is majority owned by Monsanto’s competitor DuPont Co., based in Wilmington, Del.

2007-03-07 |

Are EU GMO rules starving the poor?

A debate organised by Friends of Europe, an EU policy think-tank, explored whether the EU’s strict authorisation procedures on genetically modified food are preventing developing countries from investing in potentially lifesaving technologies.

2007-03-07 |

GM food acceptance coming in 10 years in Norway

A Norwegian professor predicts that genetically modified (GM) food will soon be accepted in Norway, but that farmers will then lose out. Professor Hilde-Gunn Opsahl Sorteberg at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) at Ås believes that GM products will be on Norwegian tables within ten years as the country follows after the growing international interest such food, newspaper Nationen reports. Sorteberg also predicts that Norwegian authorities will allow genetically modified ingredients in processed food within two years.

2007-03-07 |

U.S. SEC sues former senior Monsanto manager Charles Martin for authorizing a bribe of $50,000

On March 6, 2007, the Commission filed a settled complaint against Charles Martin (”Martin”), the former Government Affairs Director for Asia for Monsanto Company (”Monsanto”), a global producer of technology-based solutions and agricultural products. In its complaint, the Commission alleged that in 2002, Martin authorized and directed an Indonesian consulting firm (”Consulting Firm”) to pay a bribe of $50,000 to a senior Indonesian Ministry of Environment official (”the Senior Environment Official”). The complaint alleged that the illegal payment was made to influence the Senior Environment Official to repeal language in a decree that was unfavorable to Monsanto’s business in Indonesia.

2007-03-07 |

CL 131 rice banned in Arkansas (USA) in 2007

In a continuing effort to purge GM traits from the rice industry, the Arkansas State Plant Board has banned the rice variety Clearfield 131. The measure passed on a 6-5 vote at a March 2 emergency meeting and came after lengthy board deliberation and often emotional testimony from farmers, seedsmen and millers. Bred to harness a natural mutation to tolerate the Newpath herbicide, Clearfield varieties have provided growers new tools to fight yield-sapping red rice. Many farmers facing red rice infestations consider the Clearfield technology a godsend and have set up farms around it.

2007-03-07 |

Key Monsanto patent rejected

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected a key patent in Monsanto’s Roundup Ready arsenal, possibly stripping the agribusiness giant of its power to license the technology to farmers. St. Louis-based Monsanto has the right to appeal the decision or try to reach a compromise by reducing the breadth of the patent. It has 60 days to respond.

2007-03-07 |

USDA ARS scientists breed non-GE virus-resistance iceberg lettuce

Today, breeding strong, natural resistance into lettuces is still the most economical and eco-friendly way to defend vulnerable leafy greens from attack by microbial menaces. That’s according to horticulturist James D. McCreight, who directs a team of ARS specialists investigating diseases of lettuce - among other veggies - and fruits. These scientists are intent on discovering - in the world’s wild and domesticated lettuces - new and prized genes that can be moved into cultivated lettuces to boost their resistance.

2007-03-06 |

Bt cotton spells doom for cattle in India?

Grazing on residual Bt cotton crop seems to have resulted in the death of over 200 animals in various mandals of the district in the last two months. The Animal Husbandry Department has sounded an alarm as the number of sick animals with somewhat classic poisoning symptoms has kept increasing.

2007-03-06 |

Tobacco is genetically engineered to produce Entamoeba vaccine

Scientists have genetically engineered tobacco plants to produce a protein for a vaccine against amoebiasis — a disease predominantly affecting Central and South America, Africa and Asia. The World Health Organization estimates that amoebiasis, caused by the parasite Entamoeba hisolytica, causes 50 million cases and 100,000 deaths a year. There is currently no approved vaccine against the disease.

2007-03-06 |

Flavonoid-rich GM rice to boost antioxidant levels?

Rice genetically modified to have high flavonoid content has a 22 per cent higher antioxidant activity than untransformed rice, says a joint German-Indian study.
”The transgenic rice and its derived foods may serve as potential source of antioxidant compounds and this helpful in promoting human health,” wrote lead author Ambavaram Reddy in the Elsevier journal Metabolic Engineering.

2007-03-06 |

’Save India from genetically modified rice’

From Karnal to Coimbatore, genetically modified (GM) crops are becoming a matter of great concern for Indians worried about safety as well as loss of biodiversity. Various groups in Tamil Nadu, such as Pasumai Thayagam, an NGO supported by the PMK party, Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) and Socio Education Trust, are protesting against GM crops. They have the support of Greenpeace India, Care Earth, Eco-Science Research Foundation, Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Technology Organisation, Erode District Organic Farmers’ Association and several others that have launched a week-long campaign for a Tamil Nadu free of GM crops.

2007-03-06 |

U.S. rice recalled over gene contamination

The Agriculture Department last night took the unusual step of insisting that U.S. farmers refrain from planting a popular variety of long-grain rice because preliminary tests showed that its seed stock may be contaminated with a variety of gene-altered rice not approved for marketing in the United States. The announcement marks the third time in six months that U.S. rice has been found to be inexplicably contaminated with engineered traits, and it comes just weeks before the spring planting season.

2007-03-06 |

USDA allows GM pharma rice crop in Kansas

The Department of Agriculture has granted preliminary approval for a large-scale plan to grow genetically altered rice in Kansas, prompting some critics to raise safety concerns. Ventria Bioscience, based in Sacramento, Calif., wants to grow rice modified to produce human proteins on more than 3,000 acres of farmland near Junction City. The pharmaceutical rice would be harvested and refined for use in medicines to fight diarrhea, dehydration and other illnesses that kill millions of infants and toddlers each year.

2007-03-05 |

Congressman Bennie Thompson, Alcorn State University and Monsanto announce partnership to benefit black farmers and 1890s University students

Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson, Alcorn State University and Monsanto Company announced today a partnership that will include other 1890 institutions to provide more opportunities for students interested in pursuing professions in agriculture. The partnership will also provide greater access for black farmers to the latest technologies and best on-farm practices in cotton and vegetables.

2007-03-05 |

DuPont executes investments to accelerate new seed product development

DuPont today announced it is executing its $100 million reinvestment plan to increase its speed-to-market for new seed products. The plan includes the addition of more than 400 positions, mainly in research and development in its wholly owned subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. ”The global demand for agricultural crops is very strong,” said William S. Niebur, vice president – DuPont Crop Genetics Research & Development. ”We have the science to help farmers and others across the value chain meet the growing demand. This additional investment will allow us to put that science to work for our customers faster.”

2007-03-05 |

Marked increase of GM plantings in France

French farmers will cultivate significantly more genetically modified plants in 2007. Referring to statements by a spokesperson of the French maize growers" association, AGPM, Reuters reports that between 30,000 and 50,000 hectares of Bt-Maize MON810 will be cultivated in the upcoming season. In the previous year, only 5,000 hectares of GM plants were found on French fields. MON810 is the only GM plant approved in France for commercial cultivation.

2007-03-05 |

Brazil senate approves resolution to hasten GMO approval

Brazil’s Senate Tuesday approved a resolution that would cut the number of votes needed for the approval of genetically modified organisms - a move that could have widespread implications for multinational makers of transgenic seeds such as Monsanto Co., Syngenta and Bayer CropScience. The resolution, however, still must gain the signature of Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva before it passes into law. ”President Lula now has 15 days to accept or not accept the Senate’s resolution,” a spokeswoman for Brazil’s Biosafety Commission, or CTNBio, said in a phone interview with Dow Jones Newswires.

2007-03-05 |

Bill would hold makers of engineered crops liable for damage

Stepping into the middle of a growing debate, a freshman assemblyman has introduced legislation that would make companies developing genetically engineered crops liable for damages if their work results in contamination of other fields. The bill by Assemblyman Jared Huffman also would ban open-field production of genetically engineered crops used in the development of medications. And it would require growers to give county agriculture commissioners at least 30 days notice before engaging in open-field development of other genetically modified plants.

2007-03-05 |

Defra (UK) invites views on proposed new site for GM potato trials

Defra gave approval in December for the company BASF to undertake research trials of a GM potato at two sites in England, one in Cambridgeshire and the other in Derbyshire. BASF has now notified Defra that, instead of the previously intended site in Derbyshire, it proposes to conduct trials at a new location in Yorkshire.
Defra will be considering this as a new application in accordance with the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 2002. But before deciding on this it will consider any representations that people may wish to make about the risk of environmental damage posed by the GM trial.

2007-03-05 |

Monsanto Company supports growers right to choose Roundup Ready Alfalfa for their forage operations; Asks to intervene in lawsuit

Monsanto Company today will file a motion to intervene in the remedy phase of a lawsuit to support farmers who choose to use Roundup Ready alfalfa in their forage operations. Forage Genetics International and several farmers also plan to ask for intervenor status in this case, which was brought by the Center for Food Safety and others against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as Geertson Seed Farms Inc. et al. v. Mike Johanns, et al. The lawsuit is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

2007-03-05 |

GM crops not affecting cattle trade: dairy exporter

One of the world’s fastest growing dairy exporters says feeding genetically modified (GM) crops to its cows is not proving to be a barrier to world trade. Dairy exports from Argentina doubled between 2001 and 2005, accounting for 4 per cent of world trade last year. Dairy Processors of Argentina president Osvaldo Capellini says Argentina’s main customers are Africa, South America and Asia. He says they are happy to buy milk produced with GM crops.

2007-03-02 |

Update from the GM-Free Brazil Campaign

As of March 2007, the GM-Free Brazil Campaign is resuming its monthly newsletter in English. We hope the information will be useful to our partners abroad and facilitate international support actions when needed. In this first issue we discuss the three most important events in the country this month: a public hearing to debate the commercial release of GM maize, President Lula’s signing into law of a lower quorum for GM authorizations and the CTNBio’s attempt to block the public participation at its meetings.

2007-02-26 |

Thai Government urged to consider GMO

Experts advise the Thai government to accept more biotech crops, or else the Kingdom"s competitiveness in the farm sector will drop 5 per cent each year. At a press briefing at the Royal Sports Club yesterday, both Thai and foreign experts in biotechnology shared the same ideas that to adopt biotech crops will increase the country"s economic growth. In addition, this will also reduce environment problems in the long run. Despite strong controversy, the demand for biotech crops or genetically modified organism (GMO) plants have risen in many countries during the past 10 years. Dr Clive James, chairman of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), said Thailand should consider allowing the cultivation of GMO crops not only to strengthen economic growth but also solve environment problems.

2007-02-26 |

UK food watchdog did not fail in its duty over GM rice

The Food Standards Agency has been cleared of allegations that it failed in its duty to protect consumers from products contaminated by illegally imported genetically modified rice. Rejecting a claim by environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth, a judge in the High Court accepted the agency’s defence that, although it failed to act promptly when the GM rice came to light, it then took immediate steps to remedy the situation.

2007-02-25 |

GM sugar beet could bring end to weed beet misery

Fears that growing genetically modified herbicide tolerant (GMHT) oilseed rape and sugar beet will create uncontrollable super-weeds are unfounded, recent research suggests. Indeed, herbicide-tolerant beet could offer a fresh start in the weed beet battle. However, some management practices would need to change, the study by Rothamsted Research and ADAS concludes.

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