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2007-07-24 |

Center for Food Safety tries to block GE pharma rice trials in Kansas (USA)

A national environmental group has asked the Kansas Department of Agriculture to block a water permit requested by a California-based company to grow genetically engineered rice for pharmaceuticals near Junction City. The Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit public interest and environmental advocacy organization, asked the department to deny water-use permits to Ventria Biosciences because of concerns the rice crop could contaminate food supplies.

2007-07-24 |

Monsanto patents asserted against American farmers rejected by U.S. Patent Office

The Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has rejected four key Monsanto patents related to genetically modified crops that PUBPAT challenged last year because the agricultural giant is using them to harass, intimidate, sue - and in some cases literally bankrupt - American farmers. In its Office Actions rejecting each of the patents, the USPTO held that evidence submitted by PUBPAT, in addition to other prior art located by the Patent Office’s Examiners, showed that Monsanto was not entitled to any of the patents.

2007-07-23 |

French GMO area may keep rising sharply - growers

The French area sown with genetically modified maize could continue increasing fourfold annually because it resists insect attacks and boosts yields, growers said on Thursday. Maiz’Europe, the association gathering maize producers and scientists, said French farmers had sown over 21,000 hectares with GMO maize this season, just above the ministry estimate of 20,000 hectares and four times the area sown in 2006. That compared to a total grain maize area of 1.4 million hectares in France this season.

2007-07-23 |

Scottish Executive intends to maintain GE crop moratorium

The Executive’s intention is to maintain a moratorium on the planting of GM crops in Scotland. GM crops are not grown in Scotland and we believe this respects the wishes of Scottish consumers who want local, high-quality produce. Scotland has a wonderful and varied environment, rich in biodiversity and we do not wish to jeopardise this.

2007-07-23 |

Economic impact of EU unapproved GMOs on Europe‘s feed and livestock production - Joint Industry position

The EU takes a minimum of 2.5 years and often much longer to complete new biotech trait authorisations, compared with an average of 15 months in the United States. If the situation is not improved imports of essential GM derived feed and food products may slow down considerably or come to a halt, as traders would be unwilling to assume the risk of having traces of EU non-authorised biotech crops detected in their shipments. This situation is projected to worsen as new biotech traits in maize and other key crops such as soybeans and oil seed rape (Canola) continue to gain wide acceptance in other parts of the world. As recent examples have shown, lack of approval in the EU has not deterred US maize growers from planting biotech crops once they have been approved in the US.

2007-07-23 |

Genetically altered potato raises opposition in Europe

Still, perhaps the biggest hurdle for Amflora is the visceral popular reaction against genetically modified crops on a continent whose food culture is ancient and treasured.
Amflora potatoes, likely to become the first genetically modified crop in the past decade to be approved for growth in Europe, have become the unlikely poster child in the angry debate over such products on the Continent. [...] ”I just don’t like the idea,” said Monika Stahl, 31, waiting for a bus with a sack of fresh vegetables in Mannheim, just 20 kilometers, or 12 miles, from the Amflora field. ”I worry about safe food and about the environment. I have children and worry about them.”

2007-07-23 |

UK families face stark choice ... pay more for food or go GM

CONSUMER resistance to the idea of genetically modified foods must be overcome if there is be a solution to the growing problem of food inflation, scientists have said. [...] But with the price of staple goods - including milk, cereals and vegetables - soaring well above inflation, a growing number of experts are concluding that consumers will soon have to choose between expensive food and cheaper GM. Economists say climate change and growing global demand could leave Britain facing a ”food-security” crisis for the first time since the end of rationing in July 1954. Scientists are now calling for a fresh debate about GM crops, which they claim will reduce prices and mitigate the impact of farming on the world’s environment.

2007-07-23 |

Gene Ethics accuses Australian government of rigging GM survey results

A Federal Government agency has been accused of manipulating the results of a survey showing more people are ready to accept genetically modified food. The Biotechnology Australia survey found 73 per cent of consumers accept GM food compared to 46 per cent in 2005. The Gene Ethics Network says the survey questions were loaded to promote GM crops as environmentally friendly. But Biotechnology Australia’s Craig Cormack says the survey holds up to scrutiny and reflects a true change in attitudes.

2007-07-20 |

On the GMO discussion in Kenya

Last Saturday, as I stood with Kofi Annan in the field of Mr. Pharis Wekesa, a farmer in western Kenya, and examined an experimental variety of maize bred to increase the productivity of small-scale farmers, it struck me that we do indeed stand on the threshold of enormous changes for Africa’s poorest farmers. These changes promise to dramatically increase their productivity, their incomes and their options. This is the goal of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, a new organisation whose board is chaired by Kofi Annan. His visit sparked widespread interest, not only in the rural areas, but also among the media and all sectors of society committed to ending the chronic poverty experienced by more than 200 million Africans.

2007-07-20 |

Update on GE crop moratoria in Australia: South Australia & Tasmania

A series of community meetings is being held across South Australia as part of a review into the Genetically Modified (GM) Crops Management Act. Under the Act, which is due to expire in April next year, GM food crops cannot be cultivated anywhere in SA unless an exemption is granted. The executive officer of the GM Crop Advisory Committee, John Cornish, says the meetings will provide a chance to discuss some of the options for GM food crop production after April.

2007-07-20 |

Update on GE crop moratoria in Australia: New South Wales & Western Australia

The NSW Farmers’ Association says farmers’ ability to choose whether they should access Genetically Modified technology convinced delegates to reinforce its policy in support of the removal of the current moratorium at Annual Conference today. President of the NSW Farmers’ Association Jock Laurie says the Government’s appointment of an independent panel to review the states Genetically Modified (GM) moratorium is a step in the right direction.

2007-07-20 |

Update on GE crop moratoria in Australia: Victoria

It is indeed unfortunate that while many of our overseas competitors have options for working smarter in some areas, we are restricted. The Victorian Government’s GM moratorium is holding our industry back. As farmers, we want choice. As an organisation, we want choice – coexistence.

2007-07-20 |

Federal bill threatens GM moratoriums in Australian States

A bill recently pushed through federal parliament has the potential to threaten state moratoriums on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) by granting new powers to the federal agriculture minister, a WA anti-GMO activist told Green Left Weekly. Say No to GMO campaigner Janet Grogan is worried the Gene Technology Amendment (GTA) bill will be used to bypass state regulations and community consultation to introduce unwanted GM crops.

2007-07-20 |

Environmental concerns boost support for GM food crops in Australia

Public support for genetically modified food crops rose dramatically to 73 per cent in 2007, up from 46 per cent in 2005, due to perceptions about the role they can play in countering drought and pollution. Australian Industry Minister, Ian Macfarlane, said a Biotechnology Australia report, released today, found a major change in public attitudes towards biotechnology in all areas. ”When asked if GM crops should be grown in their state, 50 per cent of respondents from all states said Yes, with a further 30 per cent approving as long as they were strongly regulated,” Mr Macfarlane said.

2007-07-19 |

New Zealand‘s government urged to reject ‘dangerous‘ GM corn

Two leading scientists are calling for the Government to reject a new kind of genetically modified corn which they say could be linked to a variety of diseases. Professor Garth Cooper of Auckland University and Associate Professor Jack Heinemann of Canterbury University want tougher testing of the corn, LY038, made by international seed company Monsanto. The corn is designed to be a more nutritious feed for animals, but because of the risk of its accidentally entering the human food chain - which officials say is slight - it needs approval as a human food before it can be used.

2007-07-19 |

New Zealand‘s GE authority confirms scant benefits from GM brassica trial

ERMA’s summary of its decision to approve the field trialling of GM brassica crops makes clear just how few benefits are expected to result from the exercise. ERMA confirms in this written decision that the only benefits that can be expected are a ”minimal” contribution to scientific knowledge and ”minimal at most” upgrading of the skills of individual scientists. ERMA’s advisors had classified these benefits into categories with a total maximum value of around $500,000 and made clear that their risk-weighted value would be a fraction of this. Such prospective benefits compare very poorly with the undisclosed budget for the ten-year trial that will likely cost several million dollars, based on similar past studies.

2007-07-19 |

Biosecurity officers seize 300 GM fish in Christchurch (New Zealand)

Biosecurity New Zealand is urging tropical fish collectors and breeders to help trace genetically modified fish that have been imported illegally. Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) officers seized and destroyed 300 tropical fish in raids on two Christchurch pet shops and two private premises in Christchurch yesterday.

2007-07-19 |

UK grain imports face GMO testing

US imports of brewers’ grain and feed coming into England could face mandatory testing for contamination of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) under new proposals revealed yesterday by the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA). The new measures, which will undergo public consultation over the next three months, would repeal legislation agreed by the by the European Union just over four months ago. The legislation made random GMO testing voluntary for brewers and farmers.

2007-07-19 |

Indian cotton meadows turn into killing fields

And, since June 2005, more than 5,000 farmers pathetically killed themselves all over India, leaving their wives and children in worse financial doldrums. The death tolls tell a poignant story of how Indian farmers succumb to free trade competition that has destroyed their revered economic lifeline -- cotton farming -- with cotton prices dipping in the global market while highly subsidised farmers from rich nations corner cotton trade, leaving Third World widows in grim villages.

2007-07-19 |

Indinesian government urged to get serious about promoting biotechnology

Experts have called on the government to urgently start promoting biotechnology in order to ensure food security and improve the living standards of farmers. Speaking Tuesday during a seminar organized by the Indonesian Biotechnology Information Center (IndoBic), economist Bustanul Arifin said that biotechnology had the potential to greatly increase the production of important food crops, such as rice, corn, soybean and sugar. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, biotechnology, which involves the modification of an organism’s genes so as to produce bigger and higher quality crops, could increase plant yields by 61 percent, nutritional content by 50 percent and food quality by 29 percent, and decrease the use of pesticides by 53 percent.

2007-07-18 |

Milking transgenic rabbits gets approval in the Netherlands

A drug developed from the milk of transgenic animals is one step closer to being the second such drug on the market following a European thumbs up of its facilities, marking a significant move in the controversial drug development technology. Dutch biotech company Pharming announced it complied with the standards of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) following inspections by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) of five facilities used in the manufacturing of Rhucin, a therapeutic protein produced in transgenic rabbits.

2007-07-18 |

Transgene MON88017 corn approved in Russia

Russian science and reserch Institute of Nutrition approves using transgene corn MON 88017, resistant to glyphosate pesticide and rootworm, in food industry and for sale. Russian legislation classifies food, made of genetically modified products, as ”new type of food” and obliges it to pass safety tests, as well as monitors its further turnover. Mentioned line of GM-corn, having two alien genes, is the latest development of American ”Monsanto Company”, which was approved for consuming in the US in 2005, however, European Union refused to register it. Time will show what transgene food means for future human generations.

2007-07-18 |

Kenian MPs urge support of biosafety bill to ensure food security

Thirteen MPs want legislation fast-tracked to allow scientists to apply modern agricultural biotechnologies as a buffer to food insecurity. The legislators, drawn from various House committees and led by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Science and Technology, Mr Daniel Karaba, said food insecurity has become a major concern, especially in Africa and required urgent attention. Speaking after a tour of Kenya Agriculture Research Institute’s (Kari) modern biotechnologies projects, Karaba, who is also the Kerugoya-Kutus MP, hailed the institution’s efforts and asked for independence to allow free scientific research.

2007-07-18 |

Indonesia says to use GMO to boost food output

Indonesia plans to use genetically modified crops to boost food staples such as rice, soybean and corn once a draft law is passed, an agriculture official said on Tuesday.
GM technology using genes to modify crops in order to yield more output has previously faced resistance in the country in case of health or biodiversity risks. ”The draft for biotechnology projects including funding, reassessment, impacts on environment and crops is ready. The other laws are also ready to support it,” Eri Sofari, a biotechnology expert at the agriculture ministry, told a seminar.

2007-07-18 |

Peruvian region says no to GM potatoes

A major region of Peru has banned genetically modified (GM) varieties of a crop that has been grown there for thousands of years and which helped to fuel the ancient Inca empire. The Cusco regional government’s Order 010 is intended to protect the genetic diversity of thousands of native potato varieties. It forbids the sale, cultivation, use and transport of GM potatoes as well as other native food crops.

2007-07-18 |

Tortilla-hungry Mexico setting rules on GMO corn

Mexico, widely considered the birthplace of corn, is close to finalizing rules governing experimental planting of genetically modified corn strains, a senior biosecurity official said on Tuesday. In Mexico, where tortillas made from corn are eaten with almost every meal, the government is determined to boost output in the next few years to offset rising prices driven by U.S. demand for corn-based ethanol fuel. Mexico’s biggest grain farmers have long lobbied to lift a 1998 ban on GMO corn plantings, arguing it would help lift lagging crop yields. But environmental activists say GMO would put Mexico’s numerous local corn strains at risk.

2007-07-17 |

EU ministers pave way for biotech potato crops

EU farm ministers clashed on Monday on whether to approve a genetically modified (GMO) potato for growing, passing the final say to the bloc’s executive and thus paving the way for the first new ”live” GMO crop for years. Developed by German chemicals group BASF, the potato yields high amounts of starch. While it would be grown in Europe’s fields, it is not intended for direct human consumption and its starch would be used in industries like paper-making.

2007-07-17 |

GMOs ‘not solution to food crisis in Africa‘

Genetically modified foods were not the only solution to Africa’s food crisis, former UN secretary general Kofi Annan said yesterday. The challenges confronting agriculture in Africa were complex and it would take more than genetically modified foods to address them. ”Poor seeds, low prices for agricultural produce, lack of storage facilities and poor markets and infrastructure all contribute to the continent’s food crisis,” he said.

2007-07-17 |

Organic farming could feed the world

A switch to organic farming would not reduce the world's food supply and could also increase food security in developing countries, say the authors of a new study. They claim their findings lay to rest the debate over whether organic farming could sustainably feed the world. Organic farming avoids or heavily restricts the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, as well as livestock feed additives.

2007-07-17 |

Finnish Minister of Agriculture demands labelling of GMO feed

Minister of Agriculture Sirkka-Liisa Antilla hopes meat manufacturers and processors using genetically modified feed would voluntarily indicate this on their products. She said the preservation of consumer confidence in Finnish foodstuffs was essential. The Minister added consumers had the right to know what they purchased and put into their food.

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