Actualité
01.01.1970
Companies put restrictions on risk research into patented GM crops
A battle is quietly being waged between the industry that produces genetically modified seeds and scientists trying to investigate the environmental impacts of engineered crops. Although companies such as Monsanto have recently given ground, researchers say these firms are still loath to allow independent analyses of their patented — and profitable — seeds. [...] If a scientist wanted to compare brands of seeds, for instance, or their environmental impact, he or she had to seek permission from each seed company or gene patent holder.
01.01.1970
Coalition for GM-free Himachal formed in India
A group of social organizations has come together and pledged to work towards keeping Himachal free of genetically modified crops. Deer Park Institute, Himalaya Bachao Samiti, Bharat Swabhiman Nyas and Lok Vigyan Kendra have teamed up to initiate this coalition that would try to garner the support of other organizations, public and decision makers for keeping Himachal GM-free.
01.01.1970
U.S. urged to back GM labeling agreement in Codex negotiations
Consumers Union is asking the Obama Administration to get behind a compromise on genetically modified/genetically engineered food labeling that is widely supported in the international community. [...] Of the approximately 50 countries present at the meeting, only Mexico, Costa Rica, and Argentina, supported the U.S. position.
- Food Safety News, USA (10.05.2010): U.S. urged to back GM labeling agreement
- Consumers Union, USA (10.05.2010): Consumers Union calls on U.S. to support genetically modified food labeling agreement
- Consumers Union, USA (20.04.2010): More than 80 groups urge FDA and USDA to change U.S. position on food labeling
01.01.1970
Hungarian conservative government scraps Ministry of Environment
One of the most controversial decisions concerning the restructuring of the government has been the scrapping of the Environment Ministry. [...] Hungary has been fighting in Brussels for years to maintain the ban on the cultivation of genetically modified crops.
01.01.1970
Chinese web users unite against GM soybean oil
A group of web-users launched an online survey Wednesday, aiming to organize people to buy non-genetically modified (GM) soybean oil, as experts continue to debate the safety of GM food. The group’s leader, Fan Jinggang, has already received more than 100 messages on the website wyzxsx.com, as well as many supportive phone calls and e-mails.
01.01.1970
Greenpeace China worries GM rice about to be planted
Genetically modified rice seeds, along with some rice and rice products, have been on sale in Hunan and Hubei provinces, Greenpeace China claimed during a press conference on Wednesday. Local food authorities said investigations are underway. The organization claimed three batches of tested GM rice seeds contained the genetic fragment BT, a bacterium that creates proteins to naturally repel insects.
01.01.1970
Chinese green light for GM rice and maize prompts outcry
China’s homegrown GM rice could soon reach local markets, but critics are voicing strong concerns over the nation’s staple crop. Biosafety certificates for genetically modified rice and maize issued by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture late last year have prompted a protest from over a hundred intellectuals and prominent public officials. This represents one of the most high-profile challenges to China’s aggressive policy for the adoption of transgenic crops.
01.01.1970
Australia’s sugar industry may need GE cane for survival
AUSTRALIA’S sugar production capacity will need to expand if the country is to remain relevant on the world stage. Alan Winney, chairman of Queensland Sugar Limited (QSL), which is responsible for more than 90 per cent of Australia’s sugar exports [...] also said genetically modified cane would need serious consideration with research highlighting its potential for increased yields.
01.01.1970
US aid groups divided over GE crops for Africa’s farmers
U.S.-based aid groups and research institutes increasingly are divided over the promotion of biotechnology for Africa’s farmers. [...] But farmers and activists in many countries worry that genetic changes to crops are risky. They are concerned about health and environmental implications. They also say the new methods are expensive and tied to intellectual property laws, putting smaller farmers at a disadvantage.
01.01.1970
Kenyan MP demands talks on GM maize scandal
Naivasha MP John Mututho has called for a joint meeting of six parliamentary committees to discuss the maize scandal. [...] The Naivasha MP says that 280,000 tonnes of GMO maize had been imported and was being consumed in the country. He says the money involved could be in excess of Sh28 billion.
01.01.1970
GMOs, food security and misplaced aid -- an interview with Kenya’s Jos Ngonyo
Organic non-GMO foods aren’t just the preference of countries in the so-called developed North. 40,000 tons of GMO-grown maize was recently rejected in Kenya. Protestors are making sure it remains stuck in the port city of Mombassa. Jos Ngonyo, with Kenya’s Biodiversity Coalition spoke to Green Acre Radio in a recent visit to Seattle. Ngonyo spoke about why small-scale farmers reject the Green Revolution in Africa and about ”dysfunctional aid.”
01.01.1970
Special report: Can biotechnology save Africa? Part 2
most of the corn that Olckers grows is actually of conventional varieties that are not genetically modified organisms [...] But Olckers said he does that only because his buyer is selling the grain for export and is willing to pay a substantial premium, about 150 rand a ton [...] ”If the premium were not there and we don’t have the niche market for non-GMO maize, we will definitely go to GM maize just for the (ease of) management,” he said.
- The Des Moines Register, USA (10.05.2010): Biotech in Africa: In South Africa, the welcome mat is out
- The Des Moines Register, USA (10.05.2010): Biotech in Africa: Titans battle on the African front
- The Des Moines Register, USA (10.05.2010): Biotech in Africa: Europeans still say ’no thanks’ to biotech
- The Des Moines Register, USA (10.05.2010): Biotech in Africa: Two Food Prize winners, two approaches
01.01.1970
Special report: Can biotechnology save Africa? Part 1
Monsanto and Pioneer Hi-Bred believe biotechnology will change the world, too. The companies, which have major operations in central Iowa, are developing corn seeds to thrive in East African soils with little water or fertilizer. Critics dismiss the projects as publicity stunts. But supporters say that if the projects are successful, the seeds could grow into a new green revolution. They say biotech crops could boost food production, which the United Nations estimates must increase 70 percent by 2050 as the Earth’s population grows.
- The Des Moines Register, USA (09.05.2010): Special report: Can biotechnology save Africa?
- The Des Moines Register, USA (09.05.2010): Biotech in Africa: High hopes and high stakes
- The Des Moines Register, USA (09.05.2010): Biotech in Africa: ’A shortage of maize means a shortage of food’
- The Des Moines Register, USA (09.05.2010): Biotech in Africa: Experts see cause for concern
- The Des Moines Register, USA (09.05.2010): Biotech in Africa: Researchers prepare for field tests
01.01.1970
Monsanto’s seeds of discord: Full version
”It’s fascinatin’ because we’re in uncharted terri-tree,” says the genial, Scottish, entertainingly named Hugh Grant, 52. He is the CEO of Monsanto, possibly America’s most feared corporation. Monsanto dominates the agricultural biotechnology industry, whose audacious mission is to transform the genetic composition of the world’s food supply. More than 80% of the soybeans and cotton harvested in this country now have at least one patented Monsanto gene in them, as does more than 70% of the field corn.
01.01.1970
Syngenta’s Mack says Viptera corn seed to challenge Monsanto
Syngenta AG, the world’s third-biggest seed company, plans to challenge Monsanto Co. with next year’s launch of Viptera corn seeds genetically modified to combat damaging insects, Chief Executive Officer Michael Mack said. [...] Viptera controls above-ground insects, such as corn earworm and fall armyworm.
01.01.1970
Indian biotech companies say Bt cotton seed price cap limiting research
”I’ve spent over (Rs)25-30 crore in the last seven years on research and regulatory approvals around our Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) genes, but with this price cap, I can’t negotiate appropriate licensing fees with seed companies and I can’t competitively price my seeds. So, we are bleeding,” said K.K. Narayanan, managing director of Metahelix Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd, a Bangalore-based crop biotech firm.
01.01.1970
Saudia Arabia eyes U.S. for ag investing and contracting land
Saudi Arabian investors are looking to expand their agricultural investments in the United States to secure long-term food supply because of water shortages in the desert kingdom, Saudi officials said on Thursday. [...] Japanese tofu makers, for instance, have had contracts with U.S. growers to produce tons of organic or non-genetically modified soybeans for several years.
01.01.1970
U.S. corn jumps to seven-week high as china may boost grain imports
Corn surged to a seven-week high on speculation that China, the world’s second-largest consumer of the grain, may increase imports because demand is outpacing domestic production. [...] ”Although supplies in China’s domestic corn market have been very tight, it is unclear if there will be a shift in China’s government policy, allowing significant imports of U.S. corn.” China has a strict documentation requirement for imported food and agricultural production, including labeling of genetically modified corn
01.01.1970
Customer is king for Serbian non-GM soya bean company
”Our original project was for an isolates unit of 10,000-15,000 tonne capacity, but we soon found demand for 30,000 tonnes. That was the reason sharply to increase capacity,” he says. Like his export manager, Mr Vujacic treats soya with almost mystical reverence, stressing that Serbian beans are a strictly controlled, natural product, with no genetically modified organisms (GMO) used. ”There are cheaper soya products on the market, but Europeans do not like GMO crops, or additives. This is a big selling point,” he says.
01.01.1970
EU will adopt GE crops says biotech pioneer Marc Van Montagu
IT MAY take 10 to 15 years before Europe fully opens its doors to genetically modified food crops, but the doors will open, [retired Professor Marc Van Montagu] believes. [...] ”The EU will open its borders step by step." "This zero tolerance is the biggest absurdity that you can imagine. The most toxic chemical always has a threshold.”
