Noticias
24.02.2010
Predicted second wave of biotech growth and development begins, claims ISAAA
Last year, ISAAA predicted biotech crops were poised for a new wave of growth. Substantial gains have already been made in 2009 that are starting to bring that prediction to fruition. [...] One of the most significant advances in 2009 included a landmark November decision by China issuing biosafety certificates for biotech insect-resistant rice and phytase maize.
- International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, USA (ISAAA) (23.02.2010): Global status of commercialized biotech/GM Crops: 2009 - ISAAA Brief 41-2009
- Reuters, UK (23.02.2010): GM crop cultivation in EU down 12 pct in 2009
- The Financial Times, UK (23.02.2010): GM crops increased 7% in 2009
- Western Mail, UK (25.02.2010): Outcry over claim GM crops can fight climate change
23.02.2010
Indian biotech bill foresees jail for GE protests without scientific evidence
?Whoever, without any evidence or scientific record misleads the public about the safety of the organisms and products specified in Part I or Part II or Part III of the Schedule I, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to one year and with fine which may extend to two lakh rupees or with both.?
- India Today, India (19.02.2010): Govt moots jail for GM food critics
- The Hindu, India (19.02.2010): Activists voice concerns over Biotech Regulatory Authority Bill
- The Hindu, India (17.02.2010): Ministries vying for authority over biotech regulator
- Press Trust of India, India (19.02.2010): Reports on penalising GM food critics ?wrong?: Chavan
23.02.2010
Indian companies advised to keep Bt brinjal seeds off the market
Companies with any seeds of Bt brinjal, the genetically modified version of the vegetable, will have to register the details with the government, to ensure none of it is sowed or otherwise gets into the market. [...] the apex Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee decided the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources should be asked to store all the Bt brinjal seeds.
- Business Standard, India (18.02.2010): Genetic Engineering Panel to enforce Bt brinjal ban
- Express Buzz, India (18.02.2010): Jairam push for tougher screening
- The Hindu, India (18.02.2010): Panel discusses Minister?s volte-face on Bt brinjal
- ThaiIndian News, Thailand (17.02.2010): Judge environment ministry by rejection rate: Minister
- Indian Express, India (20.02.2010): Jairam GM voice finds no echo in PM panel
- The Financial Express, India (20.02.2010): Rangarajan calls for PPP in agriculture research
23.02.2010
IRRI expects Indian public and authorities to accept Golden Rice in 2013
The Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said it was preparing to release the GM rice known as Golden Rice for commercial cultivation in India by 2013. [...] Golden Rice would be available to farmers and consumers only after it has been authorised by the agriculture, environment, health, and food safety agencies of their countries. Public health officials, non-government organisations, grain traders, and private industry will be consulted in each country before Golden Rice is introduced.
23.02.2010
University of Agricultural Sciences (India) accused to give genetic resources to foreign companies
In a letter to all members of the biodiversity board and the environment ministry, including Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, the environmentalists have accused UAS, Dharwad and its developing partners Mahyco and Sathguru (a front company of US Agency for International Development— USAID) of blatantly violating the Biodiversity Act, while Bt brinjal was being developed by them for commercial and environmental release.
23.02.2010
Indian Ministry of Science used ISAAA text in letter supporting GE crops
The pro-Bt brinjal view in the ministry of science and technology seems to be on shaky ethical ground. Investigations reveal that the department?s minister Prithviraj Chavan - a vocal supporter of genetically engineered crops - copied and quoted in an official letter material from reports published by a lobbying outfit [ISAAA] funded by seed companies including Monsanto and Mahyco.
23.02.2010
M.S. Swaminathan: No urgency for BT brinjal
There is need for more tests. Tests have largely been done by the company. There has been no independent verification. In many countries there is a need for independent verification of data. Biotech is a very powerful tool. We should not deny ourselves the benefits of it. But then, when it comes to food crops, risks and benefits have to be weighed in a way that public has confidence that risks have been considered.
22.02.2010
Bulgarian Goverment forced down on new GMO law
In January 2010, the Bulgarian parliament voted, on a first reading, legislation allowing the release of GM organisms into the environment. But as the law awaited final passage, the Environmental Parliamentary Committee came under public pressure to accept a five-year moratorium on GM cultivation and a ban on testing near organic fields and beehives. Environmentalists are now pushing for the new legislation to be dropped completely, rather than pass it with a five-year moratorium.
22.02.2010
Syngenta glad to see U.S. wheat industry supporting GE wheat
Agribusiness company Syngenta is encouraged by recent support the U.S. wheat industry has shown for the eventual introduction of genetically modified wheat into the U.S. market, a company official said Thursday. ?We?re looking at it very closely,? Paul Minehart, head of corporate communications for Syngenta told Dow Jones Newswires on the sidelines of the U.S. Department of Agriculture?s annual Agricultural Outlook Forum.
22.02.2010
Protect Monsanto's seeds of growth from antitrust case
Take, for instance, suggestions that the seed industry needs regulation because one company (Monsanto) dominates competition for production of seeds that incorporate that company?s own patented, herbicide-resistant trait or very similar traits. [...] Anyone interested in stable laws and economic growth should hope that officials at Agriculture and Justice recognize what is at stake in their inquiries, and quickly signal their support for innovation and for the intellectual property laws that promote it.
22.02.2010
GM herbicide tolerant crops escalate the herbicide arms race
GM Freeze has reviewed the latest evidence on weeds resistant to one or more weed killers in the report published today. The rapid increase in weed resistance, and the key role played by GM herbicide tolerant (GMHT) crops that encourage farmers to depend on one herbicide (Monsanto?s Roundup), are highlighted. Overuse of Monsanto?s best selling product on monocultures employing zero tillage has created the conditions for weeds to evolve resistance very rapidly.
22.02.2010
American Sugarbeet Growers Association warns of lack of non-GE sugar beet seeds in 2010
U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White could rule on the matter as early as March 5, the time of year when most sugarbeet farmers traditionally begin planting. ?There?s not enough conventional seed to produce a crop this year,? Luther Markwart, executive vice president of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association, told Dow Jones Newswires on the sidelines of the U.S. Department of Agriculture?s annual Agricultural Outlook Forum. Furthermore, last fall, most farmers secured the seed they will need for planting, Markwart said.
22.02.2010
Idaho (USA) farmer takes on Monsanto GE alfalfa
One Idaho farmer will be watching with particular interest when the U.S. Supreme Court looks at genetically engineered alfalfa later this year. Phil Geertson of Greenleaf is the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed in 2006 by the Center for Food Safety on behalf of Geertson and others who oppose Roundup Ready alfalfa.
- Capital Press, USA (19.02.2010): Idaho farmer takes on Monsanto alfalfa
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (16.02.2010): USDA extends comment period on draft environmental impact statement for genetically engineered alfalfa
- The Organic & Non-GMO Report, USA (01.02.2010): USDA stance on GM alfalfa threatens ?fabric of organic industry?
19.02.2010
Federal funding should help Canadian flax industry
A federal investment of up to $5.9 million in Canada?s beleaguered flax industry is a first step toward regaining credibility in international markets, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said Friday in Saskatoon. The industry has suffered a significant downturn after the European Union (EU) discovered small amounts of genetically modified (GM) material contaminating samples taken from Canadian flax shipments in September.
19.02.2010
Pharming confident of Rhucin Europe approval in 2010 despite EUR 32.1 mill loss in 2009
Dutch biotechnology firm Pharming said it was on track to secure European approval for its key drug product Rhucin, even as it continued to operate at a loss for 2009. Pharming, which produces therapeutic proteins in the milk of genetically modified animals, reported on Thursday a net loss of 32.1 million euros ($44.07 million) in 2009 compared with a loss of 26.2 million in 2008, partly due to lower interest income.
19.02.2010
Bulgaria MPs agree GMO amendments to protect organic farmland
The Bulgarian Parliamentary Committee on the Environment has agreed that GMOs will not be allowed within 7 kms of organic farmland, and 10 kms away from permanent, registered beehive clusters. They also adopted a five-year ban on the cultivation of GMOs for commercial and scientific research in the field. The document was voted before the new law on GMOs was adopted on second reading. The committee has accepted these changes to the Law on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) at the proposal of Evdokiya Maneva, Deputy Minister of Environment and Water.
19.02.2010
Switzerland: Three more years of GM ban
The moratorium for genetically modified animals and plants that has been in force in Switzerland since 2005 is to be extended for a further three years. First of all, the results are expected of a national research programme on the uses and risks of genetically modified plants. In a referendum in 2005, the majority of the Swiss population voted to initially prohibit the use of genetically modified animals and plants for a period of five years.
19.02.2010
Performance Plants (Canada) to close doors, cannot fulfill promise on drought-resistant GE plants
A former Kingston high-tech darling has announced that it is shutting down its Kingston operation for at least the next three months. Performance Plants Inc., a biotech startup that was often seen as the star of the city?s emerging knowledge-based sector, announced late Friday that it was mothballing its Kingston operation for 13 weeks and closing a research and development facility in New York State permanently. [...] The company specialized in research in the area of genetically modified crops, treating them to increase yields, enhance frost resistance and make them less susceptible to droughts.
19.02.2010
Norway says ?no? to genetically modified seeds
His government has said ?no? to genetically modified seeds and other imports ? three applications for GM maize are still pending. He said that His government was pursuing a different route ? increasing crop productivity by releasing the untapped potential of grains to be water-efficient and nutrient-efficient. ?We know we will be challenged by international companies… They have patented their products and want to sell them in Norway,? [the Norwegian Minister of Agriculture and Food Lars Peder Brekk] said.
17.02.2010
Central Institute of Cotton Research (India) warns of problems with Bt cotton
Kranthi, acting director of the Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR) in Nagpur, has warned that poor management of the technology has spawned an abundance of predictable and unexpected problems. The rapid adoption of GM cotton by farmers across the country has coincided with the rise of hitherto unknown insect pests, increased pesticide applications by farmers, and declining cotton productivity over the past three years, he has told the government. [...] ?Cotton is a tricky crop — we should have been more careful,? Kranthi said. ?There are lessons to be learnt from this experience for future genetically modified crops, brinjal or anything else,?
