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2007-05-25 |

Pollen-mediated gene flow from GE sorghum expected to be extensive

In their recent ISB News Report article about transgenic sorghum, Visarada and Kishore (2007) provide incomplete information about the likelihood that transgenes would spread to wild relatives of the crop. [...] However, by citing only a single reference ... they give the impression that crop-to-wild gene flow will not occur ... Contrary to this citation, many other studies show that pollen- and seed-mediated gene flow to wild and weedy relatives of sorghum is expected to be extensive ...

2007-05-25 |

South African research group receives grant to work on GE pharma crops

The plant biotechnology research group at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has secured a multimillion-rand research grant from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to extend research into transgenic plants as a platform for the production of pharmaceuticals.

2007-05-25 |

CTNBio (Brazil) approves GM corn by force

Last Wednesday (05/16) the CNTBio approved the commercial release of Bayer’s GMO corn, by 17 votes to 5. But without recent changes the government made to the law, the approval would not have been possible as the number of necessary votes for an approval would have been 18. Now a simple majority of 14 out of 27 is enough.

2007-05-25 |

MON810 Bt maize: ”The variations are within a biologically explainable range.”

The Bt concentration in insect-resistant maize is not the same in every plant. Greenpeace has carried out measurements to check this and found that the Bt levels varied considerably. Greenpeace claims that the legal basis for the EU approval has not been fulfilled. Johannes Jehle of the Dienstleistungszentrum ländlicher Raum (DLR) in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse does not agree with either the results or the conclusions of the study.

2007-05-25 |

New risks to the environment? Confusion surrounds BVL notification in Germany

The sale of seed of the genetically modified maize variety MON810 is prohibited in Germany with immediate effect until such time as the producer, Monsanto, submits an up-to-date monitoring plan. This does not however affect maize already planted in this year’s cropping period. The official explanation for this decision is causing confusion: It states that new findings indicate that the cultivation of MON810 maize could harm the environment. While anti-genetic engineering associations called on agriculture minister Seehofer to ban MON810 maize immediately, scientists were puzzled by the sudden U-turn in the safety assessment.

2007-05-24 |

On GE-free breeding activities in Israel

Projects such as these are considered the ultimate success at the Volcani Institute at Beit Dagan - the research arm of the Agriculture Ministry - whose goal is to improve growing methods for Israeli farmers. Researchers at the institute work to develop new varieties of fruits and vegetables and solve some of the toughest problems facing agriculture. One of the biggest challenges researchers at the Volcani Institute face is how to breed new agricultural products without using biogenetic engineering, the process of creating new plants by transferring genes from different species. ”Most of our markets - mainly in Europe - are against genetically engineered products,” says Prof. Yoram Kapulnik, head of the Institute of Plant Sciences at the institute.

2007-05-24 |

Monsanto, local start-up to combine crop efforts

A Chicago biotech start-up scored its first major deal Tuesday when Monsanto Co. agreed to a research partnership to genetically engineer crops like corn or soybeans more quickly than by using standard technology. [...] Chromatin’s technology was developed by Daphne Preuss, a University of Chicago biology professor, in research with weeds. Preuss, who is on leave from the U. of C., is president and chief scientific officer at Chromatin. [...] ”This is a significant milestone for a technology that has come a long way since its development at the university,” said Alan Thomas, director of intellectual property at the University of Chicago. ”We hope this is the first of many such announcements.”

2007-05-24 |

European Parliament urges Commission to prohibit GE fish imports

The European Parliament, [...] Expresses its concern at the possibility of genetically modified fish escaping into marine ecosystems and the likelihood of their reproducing with local fish, which may disrupt the biodiversity of those ecosystems; calls on the EC to prohibit genetically modified fish intended for the EU food chain from entering the EU; [...]

2007-05-24 |

Austria says EU progress on GMO crop law too slow

Austria’s farm minister attacked the EU executive on Monday for dithering over rules for separating traditional, organic and biotech crops, saying too many issues were unresolved over Europe’s biotech crop policy. In February 2006, EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel disappointed many biotech-wary countries by saying a Europe-wide law on crop separation -- known as ”coexistence” in EU jargon -- was not necessary, reversing previous suggestions that she might be ready to propose such a law.

2007-05-24 |

U.S. biotechnology industry approves Product Launch Stewardship Policy

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today announced a new forward-looking policy statement that will encourage BIO’s Food and Agriculture members to help facilitate the flow of goods in commerce and minimize the potential for trade disruptions with respect to products of agricultural biotechnology. The Product Launch Stewardship Policy addresses the issue of asynchronous authorizations — where different countries may approve, deregulate or authorize biotech crop varieties at different times. Such variance in regulatory authorizations among trading partners can potentially disrupt trade and commerce of grain products.

2007-05-24 |

Central Lab assures rice in Dubai market is free from GM content

A survey conducted by the Food and Environment Laboratory in the Dubai Central Laboratory has found that the different varieties of rice available in the local market are free from any genetically modified content. During the survey, conducted for the first time in the country, specimen were taken from the market to see whether there is any genetically modified content of Liberty Link Rice type available in them.

2007-05-23 |

Team to promote GM crops for biofuel set up in Japan

The agriculture ministry set up a study team Tuesday to spur commercialization of genetically modified crops for biofuel instead of food, which has been largely shunned by the public because of safety concerns. By promoting the commercialization of GM crops for fuel, the ministry hopes to eventually gain the public’s trust in using GM crops for human consumption.

2007-05-23 |

Prime Minister of Malaysia: Give bio-safety attention

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday expressed his concern over the level of preparedness in Asia in terms of bio-safety and bio-security in connection with biotechnology development. [...] He said bio-safety encompassed safe practices in the handling of biological agents, managing the risk of food chain contamination and the promotion of safety standards in research work. ”By its nature, work in bio-safety is precautionary and preventive.”

2007-05-23 |

Sarkozy and French campaigners agree on green summit - but not on GE crops

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his new environment superminister met Monday with leading green campaigners to hammer out plans for a major conference on France’s environmental strategy. Sarkozy and Alain Juppe, a former prime minister appointed Friday to lead a powerful new ministry for sustainable development, hosted a two-hour round-table with nine groups including Greenpeace and WWF. [...] Juppe has ruled out a flat moratorium on genetically-modified crops, saying France cannot afford to fall behind in the field.

2007-05-23 |

United Dairyfarmers of Victoria (Australia) discuss GM

United Dairyfarmers of Victoria members are being invited to discuss their views on Genetic Modification at a series of forums over the next fortnight. The forums are being held ahead of the 2007 UDV Conference on June 19, at which delegates will be asked to consider their branches’ views on the use of biotechnology in the dairy industry. The Conference will debate a motion that is on the table from the 2006 UDV conference, proposing that the UDV should support choice of GM technology in the dairy industry.

2007-05-23 |

Severe decline in corn gluten exports weakens US ethanol industry’s future

The American Corn Growers Foundation (ACGF) surveyed 1,057 grain elevators during April 2007 in the eighteen (18) states that produce the majority of U. S. grain. ”Only 26% of the elevators surveyed report that they require the segregation of GMO (genetically modified) varieties from Non-GMO varieties. This finding raises concerns about the ability of the U.S. to hold on to the critical corn gluten export market that is so important to the future health of our ethanol sector,” reports Dan McGuire, Director of the ACGF Farmer Choice-Customer First program.

2007-05-23 |

Make-up of Victoria (Australia) GM ban review panel announced

The make-up of an independent panel that will undertake a four-month review of Victoria’s ban on genetically modified (GM) crops has been announced. Scientist and former Australian of the Year, Professor Sir Gustav Nossal, will chair the panel which will make a key recommendation on whether the state’s GM moratorium should continue beyond its expiry date early next year.

2007-05-22 |

Animal feed containing illegal GM maize compound

The Department of Agriculture has impounded 7,000 tonnes of US animal feed at Dublin Port, which has been found to contain illegal GM maize, Herculex Rw. It is also seeking to recover the remainder of the cargo, which was sampled by Greenpeace in Rotterdam and found to contain GM material not authorised in the EU, although legal in the US.

2007-05-22 |

Down on the biopharm - GE animals to rpodice

The significant cost savings to be had through using transgenic livestock instead of traditional methods of protein production have been well documented, and comparisons make for stark reading. To illustrate, experts have estimated that producing a single gram of therapeutic protein using traditional cell lines such as Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells can cost anywhere from $300 to $3,000 (€221 to €2210). In contrast, using a transgenic goat to produce the protein in milk drops the cost to $20-$105 per gram, and transgenic hen eggs are even cheaper, working out at around $0.1-$0.25 per gram of protein

2007-05-22 |

GE peas to combat infectious diseases approved for field testing in Germany

The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) has approved a field trial with genetically modified peas in Gatersleben (Saxony-Anhalt) under certain conditions. Thanks to an inserted gene construct, the GM peas produce antibodies against certain infectious diseases. [...] Around 75,000 people signed a petition protesting against the release trial. They feared above all that GM peas might cross into the Gatersleben gene bank populations.

2007-05-22 |

A healthy mix: strategies for GM and non-GM crop coexistence

The coexistence of conventional, organic and genetically modified (GM) crop systems is important for a number of reasons. This kind of system helps in exploiting market opportunities, upholding different cultural values, protecting biodiversity and coping with varying environmental conditions. But there is no easy solution, or widely accepted model, for putting coexistence into practice. Genetically modified crops can be separated from non-GM crops spatially or temporally, and labelling is increasingly seen as essential to protecting consumer choice. But coexistence strategies are still lacking in much of the developing world. Policymakers need to develop rules that are proportionate, efficient, cost-effective and specific to particular crop and farming systems.

2007-05-22 |

GM potato trial cancellation has wider implications

GM Freeze welcomed the decision of the biotech company BASF not to proceed with a trial of GM blight resistant potatoes near Hedon in East Yorkshire this year because of concerns of local borage farmers about the availability of bee hives to help pollinate their crop.

2007-05-22 |

Parliament of Cyprus rejected the use of GE agrofuels

THE PLENUM yesterday rejected an amendment by President Papadopoulos on the law regarding the use of bio-fuels that contain genetically modified substances. The amendment called for an alteration in the law that currently did not allow the import or use of bio-fuels that had been produced using GM substances, something that goes against a recent EU Directive.

2007-05-21 |

Genetic map completed for mass-killer mosquito

The genetic blueprint of the mosquito that spreads yellow and dengue fever is more complex than the one that carries malaria, and scientists are hoping to use the information to find ways to thwart the little killers. Researchers on Thursday published the genome -- a map of all the DNA -- of the mosquito species Aedes aegypti, a connoisseur of human blood that spreads disease in tropical and sub-tropical locales worldwide. The genome, they said, could guide efforts to develop insecticides or to create genetically engineered versions of this mosquito that are unable or less able to transmit the viruses that cause yellow fever and dengue fever.

2007-05-21 |

USAID to fund HT and Bt cotton trials in Uganda

The United States Agency for International Development (Usaid) is to inject $160,000 (about Shs272 million) on pest resistant cotton trials.
Through its Agricultural Productivity Enhancement Programme (APEP), Usaid will facilitate the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) to undertake trials on the pest cotton referred to as Bt cotton. [...] Mr Arinaitwe said one will be resistance to herbicide and the other will be resistance to the cotton pest called bollworms.

2007-05-21 |

DJ CBOT Rice Review: Sharp declines amid fund liquidation

Chicago Board of Trade rice futures ended deep in negative territory Friday as fund liquidation uncovered sell stops that drove prices down, traders said. [...] It was unclear what caused the fund sell-off, traders said. There was pressure from technical signals and potentially from concerns over the inability of the U.S. to sell genetically-modified rice, a trader said. Bearish stories are circulating about GMO rice building up in Arkansas elevators, he said.

2007-05-21 |

Parliament of South Korea banned genetically modified food from school menus

A group of 19 lawmakers Thursday submitted bills to tighten safeguard measures on beef and other agricultural goods imported from abroad. [...] The bills introduced by the lawmakers of the minor opposition Democratic Labor Party and other parties aim to require all restaurants and school cafeterias to use beef and rice with country-of-origin labels; ban genetically modified food from school menus; ban the use of beef raised on offal; and ban the use of offal in feed production for animals like cattle and deer.

2007-05-21 |

Fallout of SC ruling: 49 new GM cotton strains cleared in India

Forty-nine. That’s the total number of transgenic cotton hybrids cleared for commercial cultivation in a single day by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC). This follows the Supreme Court’s May 8 ruling, relaxing its ban on fresh approvals for commercial release of any genetically modified (GM) crop.

2007-05-21 |

Now for the hard sell on modified foods

THREE years ago Labor backbencher Luke Donnellan voted for a four-year ban on genetically modified crops in Victoria. Last week Mr Donnellan invited his Labor colleagues to attend a pro-GM meeting at Parliament House sponsored by the Institute of Public Affairs, an outfit not highly regarded in Labor circles. With the State Government’s ban on genetically modified canola expiring in February, supporters and opponents are beginning their lobbying campaigns. The outcome will depend on whether Labor has shifted ground on the controversial technology.

2007-05-18 |

Authorities confirm GM fish report

British authorities have confirmed that the Red danios Practical Fishkeeping claimed were transgenic fish are genetically modified to fluoresce. Following a report by Practical Fishkeeping, the GM Inspectorate and the Fish Health Inspectorate issued a notice on March 5 2007 warning fish importers and retailers that Red danios on sale may have been genetically modified and made illegally available for sale.

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