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2009-11-26 |

Glyphosate-resistant weeds: Can we close the barn door

Over the last 13 years, [glyphosate] has been applied to more than a billion acres. But there is a downside to the product’s popularity. Scientists are increasingly concerned about the growing number of weeds developing resistance to glyphosate. In a recent presentation to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, officials from the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) reported that nine weed species in the United States now have confirmed resistance to glyphosate.

2009-11-26 |

War of words over weeds could modify the verdict on GM crops

American farmers are having to spend more and more money and chemicals fighting ”superweeds” created by the rush into genetically modified crops, according to a new report which promises to re-ignite the debate over GM. It claims that, far from reducing pesticide use, as promised, GM crops are requiring much more – because the saving on insecticide use is outweighed by extra herbicides being thrown at the weeds.

2009-11-26 |

Insect resistance to Bt crops can be predicted, monitored, and managed

Since 1996, crop plants genetically modified to produce bacterial proteins that are toxic to certain insects, yet safe for people, have been planted on more than 200 million hectares worldwide. [...] However, since insects can evolve resistance to toxins, strategies must be implemented to ensure that Bt crops remain effective.

2009-11-26 |

”We need to be careful what we label things and to communicate the benefits”

When asked to compare apples to apples, consumers said they would pay more for locally grown apples than genetically modified apples. But in a second questionnaire consumers preferred GMO apples – that is, when they were described, not as GMO, but as having a Reduced Environmental Impact. [...] ”The message is that we need to be careful what we label things and to communicate the benefits,” [University of Illinois economist Michael] Mazzocco said.

2009-11-26 |

Time to push for positive perspective on GM crops

Perhaps, the solution to breaking through the present impasse lies not in the plant world but in biotechnological advances in animals. These will bring forward resistance and cures for some diseases of the human race. Once these are available it will be difficult for politicians to resist biotechnology. Faced with someone ailing from a debilitating disease, it will be difficult to say, ”No, the remedy lies with a genetically modified organism and that is not allowed”.

2009-11-26 |

People want independent information on GM foods, finds new UK study

People want truly independent information to help them make up their minds about genetically modified (GM) foods, according to a new study for the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Shoppers also want a clear labelling system to tell them if the food they buy is genetically modified or if products like milk and meat were produced from animals given GM feed.

2009-11-25 |

Snygenta’s GE maize failed approval in the EU, but not in Brazil

EU ambassadors failed to approve a genetically-modified maize made by Swiss firm Syngenta in talks on Friday, meaning the application will now be sent to EU ministers for a decision next week. ”There is no qualified majority either in favour or against, so it will go straight to Council next week,” an EU official said after the talks.

2009-11-25 |

Origin Agritech doubles as China approves GE phytase corn

Origin Agritech Ltd., China’s third-biggest seed producer, more than doubled in Nasdaq trading after the company won approval to sell the nation’s first genetically modified corn seed. [...] China’s Ministry of Agriculture gave final approval to sell corn engineered to produce phytase, a feed additive that helps animals absorb phosphorous and reduce polluted runoff into waterways, Beijing-based Origin said in a Nov. 21 statement. China is the world’s second-biggest corn producer after the U.S.

2009-11-25 |

Philippine Department of Agriculture targets Bt cotton commercialization by 2012

THE Philippines has started the actual trial of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) cotton from India and is eyeing the commercial propagation of the produce in 2012, according to Department of Agriculture (DA) officials. Agriculture Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Segfredo Serrano disclosed that the Cotton Development Administration (CDA) has started planting transgenic-hybrid cotton in one of its screen houses at the agency’s cotton farm located in Batac City, Ilocos Norte recently.

2009-11-25 |

GE eucalyptus and GE jute for India?

After the entry of Bt cotton and the controversy over Bt brinjal, scientists have turned their attention to the medicinal tree, eucalyptus. Research on genetically modified eucalyptus that is tolerant to soil salinity is underway in Coimbatore, according to Union environment and forest Minister Jairam Ramesh. Field trials for GM eucalyptus would begin in four years’ time.

2009-11-25 |

Q & A about the relevance of Bt brinjal and the regulatory regime in India

The debate over the environmental clearance for Bt brinjal in India is hotting up. There is a tremendous uproar against the technology that is visible, provided of course you want to see it. Many State governments have woken up, and opposed the introduction of Bt brinjal crop. West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala are some of them. In the days to come, I am sure more State governments will oppose the technology.

2009-11-25 |

Indian Minister for Environment and Forests supports Bt brinjal approval

The genetically modified Bt Brinjal has been developed in compliance with international norms and experts evaluating it have found no danger in it, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said here Tuesday. Supporting the experts’ panel — which has been criticised by many independent scientists and green activists, the minister told the Rajya Sabha in reply to a question: ”Bt Brinjal event EE-1 has been developed in compliance with the prevailing regulatory procedures and biosafety guidelines which conform to the international norms”.

2009-11-23 |

Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union calls for GE maize

The Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) has called on the Government to allow farmers to plant Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) maize seed so as to increase harvest and counter imports. [...] ”GMO seeds mature faster than the natural seed and they need less water looking at a possibility of the country receiving less rainfall meaning that if such a thing was to occur the country would be guaranteed of a good harvest,” said Marapira.

2009-11-23 |

Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service told countries to tread GE crops with caution

Genetically Modified Organisms are not the silver bullet to ensuring global food security, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service - Kephis Managing Director Chagema Kedera has said. Kedera says globally, countries should tread with care as they incorporate GMO technology in their production systems.

2009-11-23 |

Israels’s first conference on food and sustainability talks about GE food

The first conference on food and sustainability in Israel on Thursday threw into stark relief the complex issues that often go unnoticed as people sit down to their meals. [...] Ozeki used her latest novel, All Over Creation, which weaves a story around the history of the potato, to warn of the dangers of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

2009-11-23 |

Philippine court allows importation of Bayer’s LLRice62

The fourth division of the appellate court reversed the temporary restraining order issued by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) prohibiting the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) from allowing Bayer Crop Science Inc. to import the rice variety for food, feeds and processing. [...] The CA ruled that the trial court erred in ruling that LLRice62 is dangerous to health and the environment. The court said such findings would have to be verified by the proper agencies.

2009-11-23 |

Safe GM crops a fairytale

On November 18, 200 people rallied outside the Western Australian parliament to protest against the introduction of genetically modified crops. The state government will decide next year whether to permanently lift the ban on GM crops. [...] Anti-GM campaigner Doctor Maggie Lilith presented statistics from the recent review of the moratorium on GM. She said 89% of submissions called for the moratorium to be kept and even strengthened.

2009-11-23 |

GMOs and trade – the breaking point?

Since mid-October, lobbyists from the European grain and oilseeds trade association Coceral have intensified lobbying efforts to lift the EU’s zero-tolerance policy concerning GMOs. ”We need these soy supplies now,” said Klaus-Dieter Schumacher from Coceral. His organisation, together with the EU feed industry groups Fediol and Fefac, pointed out that the EU farming sector will require 6-7.5 million tons of soy feed from North America, because low harvests in South America have cut soy imports through the usual trade channels.

2009-11-20 |

European Patent Office grants patent on the use of human egg cells

In July 2009 the European Patent Office granted the Swiss company Merck Serono a patent on the ripening process of human egg cells including their use in in vitro fertilisation treatment. Once the patent was granted Merck Serono not only had a monopoly on the egg ripening process but also exclusive rights on the usage of the human eggs cells. Testbiotech believes that this new patent raises questions on the ethical boundaries of patent law.

2009-11-20 |

More about Monsanto’s GE omega-3 soybeans

Diners who’d prefer to skip the salmon may no longer miss out on the fish’s omega-3 fatty acids, known to reduce heart disease. Monsanto Co., the world’s largest seed producer, genetically engineered soybean plants to produce oil that helps boost levels of one such acid and can be added to food for a healthier diet. Results from a 157-person study of the oil’s potential benefits were presented today at the American Heart Association meeting in Orlando, Florida.

2009-11-20 |

Are Ukrainians willing to buy genetically modified products – telephone survey results

According to press release given by Gorshenin Institute to UNIAN, Almost 90 % of Ukrainians are against the import of products treated with Genetically Modified Organisms. [...] According to the survey results absolute majority of Ukrainians (85.6%) know what Genetically Modified Organisms are and understand what the consequences of GMO treated products consumption might be.

2009-11-20 |

GE crops divide Australians

Australians are deeply divided over genetically modified crops, with almost a third believing they are risky and another quarter unsure of their safety. The latest ANU Poll, issued exclusively to The Canberra Times, also finds Australians believe the nation’s farmers produce safe food sustainably and ethically, and there is strong support for giving them extra financial help.

2009-11-20 |

UN hunger summit failed for lack of leaders, say agricultural groups

”The blatant absence of the heads of state of the G8 countries... was one of the key causes of the total failure of this summit,” La Via Campesina said in a statement, adding that it showed ”an enormous lack of responsibility to resolve this deepening hunger crisis.” ”There were no measures to stop the devastating effects of corporate agriculture or to support domestic peasant-based food production,” said the coalition of groups advocating family farm-based sustainable agriculture.

2009-11-20 |

Nearly 50 mill US citizens struggle for food in despite large-scale GE crop planting

The nation’s economic crisis has catapulted the number of Americans who lack enough food to the highest level since the government has been keeping track, according to a new federal report, which shows that nearly 50 million people -- including almost one child in four -- struggled last year to get enough to eat.

2009-11-19 |

Biosafety back on the agenda in Pakistan

Pakistan has relaunched its agency overseeing regulation of biotechnology research, arming it with more powers that include developing stricter biosafety laws. The new task force, announced earlier last month (6 October), replaces the previous Pakistan Biological Safety Association (PBSA) launched just a year ago by the country’s Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) core group in life sciences (see Pakistan launches National Biosafety body).

2009-11-19 |

GM crops have a role in preventing world hunger, chief UK scientist says

GM crops have a role to play in preventing mass starvation across the world caused by a combination of climate change and rapid population growth, a senior government scientist said yesterday. Professor Robert Watson, the chief scientific adviser at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), called for UK trials of GM foods, arguing that the Government needs to be more open with the public about the risks and benefits of genetically modified foods.

2009-11-19 |

Why the US is so keen to sell Bt brinjal to India

That American agri-companies have intensified lobbying with Indian political parties is not surprising, for two reasons. First, the Indian government has yet to greenlight the commercialisation of Bt brinjal -- crucial for the future of these ’Bt brand’ companies -- even after a thumbs up from the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC). Also, the winter session of Parliament is to take up two crucial pieces of legislation: The Seed Bill and the National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill.

2009-11-19 |

Inghams warned over misleading GE-free claims

The Commerce Commission has warned poultry producer Inghams Enterprises over its claims its chickens contained no genetically modified (GM) ingredients. The commission has completed investigating allegations that Ingham’s GM-free advertising claims, made in consumer and trade magazines and on television between January 2008 and June 2009, were false or misleading under the Fair Trading Act.

2009-11-19 |

Whole Foods to use ”Non-GMO” seal on its private-label products

Whole Foods Market has announced plans to have all of its store-brand products independently tested to certify that they are made without the use of any genetically modified organisms (GMOs). ”Since there is no U.S. regulation regarding disclosure on products manufactured with GMO ingredients, we are committed to helping our shoppers make confident choices by knowing that what they are buying has been verified as meeting the standards of the Non-GMO Project,” said Senior Global Vice President of Purchasing Michael Besancon.

2009-11-19 |

Chefs welcome Irish GM-free labelling promise

Ireland can become the most credible genetically modified (GM) free food brand in Europe, a group which included chefs Richard Corrigan and Darina Allen said today. At a press conference the group welcomed promises in the Programme for Government to ban the growing of GM plants and to introduce GM-free food labelling.

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