GENET-news

 Below you find the postings of the last seven days.

 

2012-03-19 | permalink

Indian free trade proponent supports Bt cotton

Joshi, the founder of Shetkari Sanghatana, along with Association of Bt-Led Enterprise, an organization backed by companies making Bt seeds including US-based Monsanto, slammed the farm activists who opposed its use at a press conference here on Tuesday. He accused Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti of serving vested interests, hinting towards the chemical pesticides industry. [COMMENT GENET: the world's main pesticide producers are all members of the Special Interest Group on Agribiotechnology of ABLE!]

2012-03-15 | permalink

Outrage as GM labelling laws flouted in South Africa

The African Centre for Biosafety is outraged that several food products, including baby cereal, maize meal consumed as a staple, a renown and heavily promoted dietary supplement for active sports people and wheat free cereal, have tested positive for GM- yet are all unlabelled. From the 1 October 2011, food producers, importers and packagers are required by law, in terms of the Consumer Protection Act and its Regulations, to label GM foods and marketing materials where the genetically modified content is at least 5%. In other words, the trigger for labelling is where the GM content is 5% or more.

2012-03-15 | permalink

South African GE crop ’boom’ a flop for farmers and consumers

The ISAAA proudly proclaimed another boom year for genetically modified crops in South Africa and claimed that the benefit of GM crops is widespread and widely shared. The African Centre for Biosafety vehemently disputes that GM crops have benefitted farmers and consumers in South Africa. GM crops have done nothing to bring about food security or curtail the escalating costs of food in South Africa. Between January 2008 and January 2012, the cost of a 5kg bag super maize meal increased by a staggering 83%. In 2007, the poorest 30% of the population spent approximately 22% of their monthly income on food, including on maize-a staple. The latest figures from January 2012 put this at nearly 39%.

2012-03-15 | permalink

Monsanto to test first USDA-approved corn genetically engineered to tolerate drought

U.S. farmers across the Western Great Plains will soon plant Monsanto’s newest drought-tolerant corn as part of on-farm trials. The DroughtGard Hybrids are designed to help farmers mitigate the risk of yield loss when experiencing drought. The large-scale trials will take place with 250 growers on up to 10,000 acres across the Western Great Plains, the product’s target launch area.

2012-03-15 | permalink

463,681 petition signatures intensify ressure on Walmart to rebuff GE sweet corn

Today the Center for Food Safety, Food & Water Watch, CREDO Action, SumOfUs, Center for Environmental Health, and Corporate Accountability International announced they have collected 463,681 petition signatures to date asking Walmart to refuse to stock Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) sweet corn. The coalition also announced a Day of Action on Saturday, March 17. ”Walmart is starting to feel the heat from consumers who don’t want this unlabeled GE corn in their grocery carts, so they are releasing public statements and telling customers that they have no current plans to carry the biotech corn,” said Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch.

2012-03-15 | permalink

French scientists: 30 per cent pesticide reduction possible without GE crops and yield losses

France is currently leading attempts in Europe to scale-back agricultural chemical use, attempting to halve the amount of chemical inputs used in the country by 2018. However, French farmers have reacted strongly to the targets, which they claim will affect their production. [...] To support the targets, scientists at two of INRA’s research units have demonstrated, using modelling techniques, that the country can achieve a 30 per cent reduction in pesticide use on arable crops without impacting on either yields or farm income.

2012-03-15 | permalink

Italian Minister of Environment claims that GE crops are basis of traditional food and will rescue post-tsunami farming

Fear of genetically modified organisms focuses mainly on the possible threat to the typicality of Italian farm products. But there’s a paradox. Without genetic engineering, we would not today have some of our most typical products. Hard wheat, Carnaroli rice, the San Marzano tomato, Ligurian basil, the Nero d’Avola vine, the Tropea red onion and Roman broccoli were all obtained from crossings and seed mutagenesis. [...] GMOs are going to rescue post-tsunami farming. Japanese and British researchers are working on a salt-resistant rice plant that can be planted in areas affected by last year’s tsunami

2012-03-14 | permalink

Farmers face tough choice on ways to fight new strains of weeds

Unless you grow cotton, corn or soybeans for a living, it’s hard to appreciate just how amazing and wonderful it seemed, 15 years ago, when Roundup-tolerant crops hit the market. I’ve seen crusty farmers turn giddy just talking about it.
All they had to do was spray the herbicide Roundup over their fields and everything died [...] Alas, the giddiness faded. In more and more places across the country, farmers now are struggling to deal with weeds that their favorite weedkiller won’t kill anymore. The weeds, too, have evolved Roundup-resistance superpowers.

2012-03-14 | permalink

Fifty-five members of U.S. Congress urge FDA to label GE foods

Fifty-five members of Congress have written to FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg in support of a petition urging the labeling of genetically engineered foods and food ingredients. The bipartisan letter, signed by 45 US representatives and 10 US senators, supports a legal petition filed by the Center for Food Safety in October 2011, which has gained more than 850,000 signatures. The Just Label It campaign is a coalition of about 400 organizations and businesses, and claims it has generated more comments than any other food petition in FDA history.

2012-03-14 | permalink

European Health and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Dalli disappointed as his GMO proposal is rejected

European Health and Consumer Affairs Commissioner John Dalli was clearly disappointed after a blocking minority shot down a compromise solution for the cultivation of genetically modified crops. [...] Although originally sceptical about the proposal made in 2010, Malta, represented by Environment Minister Mario de Marco, supported the compromise put forward by the Danes. This would have allowed countries to either strike a deal directly with biotech companies before a GM crop was approved at EU level or cite justifiable grounds for restricting the GM crop after approval.

2012-03-14 | permalink

UK scientists claim multi-disease fighting GE orange based on one unpublished experiment

A sweet Spanish orange that contains the health-giving red pigments of the Sicilian blood orange has been created by scientists who believe the fruit will produce a ”superjuice” that helps to combat a range of medical disorders, from obesity and heart disease to irritable bowel syndrome. [...] In one unpublished experiment involving 25 volunteers who ate a full English breakfast, those who drank half a litre of blood orange juice with their meal had significantly lower risk factors for heart disease, such as fatty acids, in the bloodstream.

2012-03-14 | permalink

Backing for GM food has halved since the 1990s with one in three Brits now opposed to it

Public support for GM food has halved since the mid-1990s, a poll commissioned by one of Britain’s most prestigious scientific bodies found. Just 27 per cent of Britons agree that genetically-modified food should be encouraged - a 48 per cent drop on 16 years ago. The poll, commissioned by the British Science Association, also revealed that almost one in three Britons is opposed to the technology in principle. However, GM is treated more favourably when it has medical benefits. Critics said that the figures suggest that attempts to sway public opinion have failed.

2012-03-14 | permalink

Teagasc seeks permission for GM potato trial in Ireland

State body Teagasc has said it wants to conduct outdoor trials of genetically modified potatoes, which have been made to be blight-resistant. The agency has been growing the modified crops indoors for several years but has sought permission from the Environmental Protection Agency to move its trials outdoors. [...] However several groups are opposed to the trials, among them GM-Free Ireland, organic growers group IOFGA and the Irish Doctor’s Environmental Association.

2012-03-13 | permalink

Negative externality: Pakistan farmers fear fallout as Bt corn trial allowed

”BT corn can be successful on large land holdings elsewhere, but it will adversely affect the smaller land holdings in Pakistan,” an official said. Sources have told The Express Tribune that the Technical Advisory Committee of the National Bio-Safety Committee has okayed biotech giant Monsanto for a field trial of its Bacillus Thuringiensis corn, but small farmers’ crops adjacent to the experiment site may be at risk from the highly-pollinating variety of genetically modified maize. Earlier, Monsanto had demanded some public guarantee for the use of its technology by farmers – who usually save seeds for the following season.

2012-03-13 | permalink

China should accelerate use of gene-altered crops, developer of GE corn says

China, the world’s biggest grain producer, should speed up the sale of genetically modified crops to boost output and food security, said [...] Huang Dafang, director of Biotechnology Research [...] The ministry in 2009 said the so-called phytase corn, which allows animals to better process phosphate, and a variety of insect-resistant rice meet safety standards. The corn seed will reduce the phosphate waste from livestock animals by 40 percent, reducing their environmental impact, said Huang, whose center developed the variety.

2012-03-13 | permalink

Australian scientists plan to bring GE bananas to India in 10 years

Australian scientists have genetically modified bananas so the fruit is not only full of vitamins but also rich with iron. They are now sharing the technology with Indian scientists and farmers to help address widespread anaemia in the country, which can lead to death during childbirth. The Queensland University of Technology signed an agreement with India’s department of biotechnology to invest in a four-year project to develop the iron-rich bananas.

2012-03-13 | permalink

Greenpeace urges Chief Minister of West Bengal (India) to stall biotechnology bill

Global environmental pressure group Greenpeace has urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to stall the proposed Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill, 2011 in parliament. Greenpeace India claimed West Bengal Mamata Banerjee has assured a group of youths, representing various colleges in the city, that she will never allow Genetically Modified crops in the state. The youths who called on her at her residence Monday reminded the Chief Minister about the impending danger that the food, farming and environment of the state faces from the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India bill

2012-03-13 | permalink

New non-GE variety of salt-tolerant wheat could help address food shortages

A new type of wheat bred with a gene that removes sodium from water can outgrow conventional strains by up to 25% in salty soils, Australian scientists have found. The breakthrough by a team from CSIRO and the University of Adelaide was achieved with non-genetically modified crop breeding techniques, and could be an important asset for farmers worldwide as they cope with the effect of climate change on soil salinity. Scientists from CSIRO Plant Industry in Canberra identified the gene, from an ancient strain of wheat, more than 15 years ago

2012-03-13 | permalink

Negative externality: Pakistan farmers fear fallout as Bt corn trial allowed

”BT corn can be successful on large land holdings elsewhere, but it will adversely affect the smaller land holdings in Pakistan,” an official said. Sources have told The Express Tribune that the Technical Advisory Committee of the National Bio-Safety Committee has okayed biotech giant Monsanto for a field trial of its Bacillus Thuringiensis corn, but small farmers’ crops adjacent to the experiment site may be at risk from the highly-pollinating variety of genetically modified maize. Earlier, Monsanto had demanded some public guarantee for the use of its technology by farmers – who usually save seeds for the following season.

2012-03-12 | permalink

Britain and Spain seen blocking EU deal on GM crop bans

European Union ministers are unlikely to agree draft rules to let countries decide themselves whether to grow or ban genetically modified crops, despite efforts by Denmark’s EU presidency to reach a compromise. [...] ”Things are still looking extremely difficult,” Danish Environment Minister Ida Auken, who will lead the discussions, told Reuters by telephone on Thursday. ”We have a small blocking minority at the moment, but we still hope that we will dissolve it, and it’s going to come down to one or two countries in the end.” While France, Germany and Belgium are unlikely to reverse their opposition, Britain and Spain had initially appeared willing to support the Danish compromise, EU sources involved in the talks said.

2012-03-12 | permalink

Tiptoeing around transgenics - USDA exempts new biotech crops from regulatory oversight

Last August, it came to light that the US Department of Agriculture has been quietly informing crop trait companies that plants made with certain novel approaches to genetic modification would not require regulatory oversight. In a letter dated 26 May 2010, the USDA informed Indianapolis-based Dow AgroSciences that genetically modified corn developed using a zinc-finger nuclease technique would fall outside of the agency’s authority. Six years earlier, in correspondence dated 24 March 2004, the USDA informed Cibus Genetics in Annapolis, Maryland, that plants made with the company’s chimeric DNA-RNA oligonucleotide-directed repair technology would also not warrant review.

2012-03-12 | permalink

U.S. insect experts issue ’urgent’ warning on using biotech seeds

Scientists say the corn rootworm is growing resistant to Bt corn. For America’s agricultural biotech companies, the corn rootworm is threatening to turn into their worst nightmare. Last year, we reported that a major insect pest, the corn rootworm, had ”found a chink in the armor” of genetically engineered crops. In several different places across the corn belt, the insects have developed resistance to an inserted gene that is supposed to kill them. Now, in a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released this week, 22 of the nation’s top experts on corn pests lay out some of the implications of this discovery, and they are potentially profound.

2012-03-12 | permalink

Monsanto and Dow GM crops to get faster U.S. reviews

Monsanto Co. and Dow Chemical Co. will get speedier government reviews for some of their newest genetically modified crops under a plan to cut approval times in half, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. Monsanto soybeans that tolerate applications of the herbicide dicamba and a Dow soybean engineered to tolerate 2,4-D are among a dozen petitions that will get the faster reviews, the USDA said on its website. The agency plans to decide whether to approve the crops in 13 to 16 months after public comment begins, down from a current average of 3 years.

2012-03-12 | permalink

U.S. White House shields industry strategy memo on GE crops

The Obama White House’s work to push regulatory approvals behind the scenes for genetically-engineered crops should be publicly known, according to legal briefs filed today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. For the past five months, PEER has been litigating to force release of documents detailing the activities of a White House-led “Agriculture Biotech Working Group” consisting of officials from ten agencies dedicated to promoting GE agriculture. [...] OSTP still refuses to divulge lists of agenda items, schedules and other indicia of its work on GE issues.

2012-03-12 | permalink

Audit critical of USDA’s lack of organics testing for GE contamination

The USDA should find ways to detect whether organic feed has been contaminated by genetically engineered crops, according to an internal report. The agency should also determine how certifying agents can ensure farms are following organic standards that disallow the use of biotech crops, according to USDA’s Office of Inspector General. Genetically modified corn, soybeans and alfalfa are widely available, making it possible for organic farmers to unwittingly buy seed containing transgenic material or feed with transgenic ingredients, the report said.

2012-03-11 | permalink

Revealing Vidarbha’s plight: ’Cotton for my shroud’

Story of debt-ridden Vidarbha farmers in one of the India’s richest state, Maharashtra, has been told many times. The burdening figure of quarter of a million farmers buried in the region’s ’cotton-field graveyard’ since 1995 tells how an agriculturally productive region can turn into a death-trap just because of the government’s ill-conceived policies and inaction. But, capturing a disaster spread over almost two decades of time wrap is not easy.

2012-03-09 | permalink

Explaining GM crop trials in Ireland

Researchers involved in the proposed project would study a line of late blight resistant wild potato, which has already been successfully bred in trials in the Netherlands [...] said that because the line had already been bred successfully – and because similar GM trials had taken part in other countries – Teagasc researchers would know, in a large part, what to expect. However, he stressed that it was essential for researchers to carry out trials on Irish soil, as without doing so there could be no evidence to show how our specific ecosystem might react.

2012-03-09 | permalink

Argentina joint venture aims to break Monsanto’s grip on transgenic soy

Argentine biotech firm Bioceres is teaming up with U.S.-based Arcadia Biosciences to bring a host of new transgenic soybean seeds to a market dominated by global biotech giants such as Monsanto Co.. [...] The 50-50 venture between Bioceres and Arcadia, dubbed Verdeca, hopes to have its soybean seeds on sale in 2015 or 2016, Arcadia Biosciences CEO Eric Rey said in an interview. The two companies have already invested about $120 million to develop seeds that will combine transgenic traits for resistance to the herbicide glyphosate with drought tolerance and increased nitrogen and water use efficiency.

2012-03-09 | permalink

GE crops saving the world - None of these are available

Genetically modified organisms were made possible by a technology developed in the 1970s whereby genes from one species are forced into the DNA of other species. [...] The promised traits associated with GMOs have included: vegetables growing in the desert, vitamin fortified grains, and highly productive crops feeding the starving millions. None of these are available. In fact, the only two traits that are found in nearly all commercialized GM plants are herbicide tolerance and/or pesticide production. Despite investment of tens of billions of dollars, benefits such as drought resistance and salt tolerance have yet to materialize on any scale.

2012-03-09 | permalink

South African GM crop area hit record in 2011, says ISAAA report

South Africa’s genetically modified crop area increased 100,000 hectares to a record 2.3 million hectares in 2011 from 2.2 million hectares in the year before [...] The land area cultivated under the staple maize was 1.9 million hectares, while genetically modified soya beans were produced on 450,000 ha and cotton on 15,000 ha, the report issued by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications showed. Such data is keenly monitored by maize traders but also by food retailers as non-GMO maize can fetch a premium in the supermarket because of public suspicions about the safety of bio-tech crops.

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