Actualité
12.12.2007
BASF (Germany) still hopeful EU will approve use of new GE potato until christmas
Officials from German chemical giant BASF AG said Tuesday they remained hopeful they could get European Union approval to start cultivation of their genetically engineered potato by next year?s growing season. [...] He said however that time to prepare and sell seeds would run out if a decision is not made by the end of December.
?Our farmers need to know by Christmas for planting,? Kast said.
11.12.2007
China, Singapore will jointly develop GE sorghum and yam for biofuel
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Institute of Botany and Singapore?s Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) agreed here on Tuesday to begin joint research into energy-intensive plant hybrids for biofuels. [...] Using bio-engineering technologies that help improve energy content in plants, the lab will focus on genetically modified sweet sorghum and yam, which are widely cultivated in northern China.
11.12.2007
Argentina?s forest law creates export tax on GE soy to fight deforestation
The forests of Argentina are being cleared at a rate of 40 football fields every hour. To stop the destruction we took to the trees - and to the streets. While our activists protested in the forest, we joined forces with other environmental groups, got 1.5 million signatures of support and pushed through Argentina?s first federal forest protection law. [...] To pay for implementation, the law allocates funds from the national budget, plus income from a new export tax on genetically engineered soy. Forest clearing to plant genetically engineered soy beans destroys 300,000 hectares of native forest per year.
11.12.2007
Pay attention to GMOs, biofuels to alleviate poverty, World Bank executive tells Philippines
A World Bank executive has recommended that the Philippines pay attention to the issues of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), intellectual property rights (IPRs), biofuels, and climate change to alleviate its poor. Dr. Derek Byerlee, representative of World Bank Philippines, citing the World Development Report (WDR) that shows failure of Third World governments to tap its agriculture potentials for growth, said these governments, including the Philippines, pay heed to these issues ?especially among the agricultural sector?.
11.12.2007
New South Wales (Australia) Parliament approves GM plan
The New South Wales Parliament has passed legislation about the planting of genetically modified canola. The legislation approves a new committee, which will oversee the approvals process for growers wanting to plant the crop. Paula Fitzgerald from Agrifood Awareness, which represents bio-tech companies and grain groups, says there is now some certainty for the industry.
11.12.2007
Western Australian farmers ?benefit? from non-GM trade
Western Australian farmers are reaping financial benefits and trade advantages by maintaining its moratorium on growing genetically modified crops, WA Agriculture Minister Kim Chance says. Mr Chance said the Consumers Union of Japan announced it would cease buying canola from Victoria and NSW during a recent Australian visit. It would instead buy WA?s GM free canola.
- The Age, Australia (06.12.2007): WA farmers ?benefit? from non-GM trade
- Government of Western Australia, Australia (06.12.2007): WA reaps early benefits of Eastern States? GM decision
- North Queensland Register, Australia (07.12.2007): Kim Chance ?out of touch? on GMs
- Ray Morgan International, Australia (06.12.2007): Bans lifted as genetically modified food gains acceptance
11.12.2007
Head of GM panel of Victoria (Australia) in conflict claims
SIR Gustav Nossal, the former Australian of the Year chosen to head the Victorian Government?s panel that recommended lifting bans on some genetically modified crops, is the founder of a business designed to reap commercial gain from biotechnology. [...] Sir Gustav?s role as a founder and director of Foursight, a consultancy that links bioscience research with commerce, has provided ammunition for his critics in the war of words over GM food. ?It should have been on the public record,? said a spokesman for the Biological Farmers of Australia, Scott Kinnear. ?He?s the director of a commercial company which could stand to benefit from the lifting of the ban. He?s not independent.?
10.12.2007
Genetically Modified crops could be accepted in Europe within 10 years
Genetically Modified (GM) crops could be accepted across Europe in less than 10 years, despite the UK government?s ?shameful? reluctance at present. That was the prediction of Cranfield University?s Sean Rickard, speaking at the British Potato 2007 conference in Harrogate. ?Biotechnology is the next big technology driver in the world and the only way we can respond to the challenges of climate change is through GM. It is shameful of our government that we now lag behind the rest of the world.?
10.12.2007
Modified crop risks aim of program on Hawai?i (USA)
A growing movement to free local food from genetic engineering — a controversial process implicated in several health risks — continues to extend its roots on Kaua?i. Critics oppose genetically-modified organisms for reasons ranging from uncertainty over the long-term effects to an unnecessary meddling in the natural evolution of plant and animal species. But supporters charge that inserting single genes from one organism into another can produce useful traits that can reduce rotting in tomatoes, for instance, or create disease-resistant crops.
10.12.2007
UK Chief scientist attacks health reporting by BBC and Daily Mail
The government?s chief scientific adviser criticised the BBC?s Today programme and the Daily Mail yesterday over what he called their ?campaigns? against GM food and the MMR vaccine. Sir David King said Britain?s failure to adopt GM crops had cost the economy between £2bn and £4bn and that falling measles vaccination rates as a result of negative publicity about MMR would lead to between 50 and 100 child deaths.
10.12.2007
Science and policy collide in EU over GM crops
A proposal that Europe?s top environment official made last month to ban the planting of a genetically modified corn strain across the bloc sets the stage for a bitter war within European Union, where politicians have done their best to dance around the issue. The EU?s environmental commissioner, Stavros Dimas, said he based his decision squarely on scientific studies suggesting that there remain long-term uncertainties and risks in planting the so-called Bt corn. But when the full European Commission takes up the matter in the next couple of months, commissioners will have to decide what mix of science, politics and trade to apply. And they will face the ambiguous limits of science when it is applied to public policy.
10.12.2007
GM resistance is ?threatening cheap food? says Syngenta CEO
The era of cheap food is under threat from excessive regulation of genetically modified crops and pesticides, according to one of the world?s most senior agricultural business leaders. A failure to embrace GM crops and new European rules that could ban many pesticides risk driving up food prices, as well as reducing yields and damaging the UK?s science base, Michael Pragnell, the chief executive of Syngenta, said.
10.12.2007
France suspends commercial GMO seed use, studies safety
France formally suspended on Thursday the commercial use of genetically modified (GMO) seeds in the country until early February and ordered a biotech safety study. The future of GMOs has long been the subject of heated debate in France -- Europe?s top grain producer -- and the country?s reluctance to use GMO crops compares starkly with the United States, which is far more tolerant of the technology.
07.12.2007
Germany ends ban on Monsanto GMO maize type
A temporary sales ban on GMO-giant Monsanto?s genetically modified MON810 maize was lifted after the company agreed to extra crop monitoring in Germany, German authorities anounced. Germany had in May this year imposed a temporary ban on commercial sales of MON810 citing concerns about safety of the maize.
07.12.2007
Non-GM xylanase launched to perk up bread volume
Speciality enzyme manufacturer Biocatalysts have developed a xylanase enzyme for bakery applications made without the use of genetic modification. […..] Marketing manager Caroline West said: ?As a policy most of our enzymes are non-GM and where they are GM we try to offer a non-GMO alternative and people can then make the best choice for them.?
07.12.2007
New drought-tolerant GE tobacco offers hope for warming world
Genetically engineered crop plants that survive droughts and can grow with 70 percent less irrigation water have been developed by an international team led by researchers at the University of California, Davis. The discovery offers hope for global agriculture that is already grappling with limited and variable water supplies. Research findings concerning the new drought-tolerant plants will be reported in the Nov. 26 online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In this study, tobacco plants were used as a research model.
07.12.2007
Australian scientists identify crucial barley gene for boron toxicity tolerance
Adelaide scientists have identified the major gene responsible for boron toxicity tolerance in barley, allowing breeders to select with 100% accuracy barley varieties that are tolerant to boron. [...] Scientists can now work towards transferring this gene into commercially important barley varieties using either conventional breeding or transformation techniques.
07.12.2007
U.S. rice industry seed plan clears genetically engineered rice from commercial supply
Test results for the 2007 U.S. long-grain rice crop show the overwhelming absence of genetically engineered rice traits, USA Rice Federation Senior VP Bob Cummings told attendees of the USA Rice Outlook Conference. ?Rice farmers have produced a clean 2007 long-grain rice crop,? Cummings said. ?Congratulations and thank you!?
07.12.2007
Oxitec (UK) negotiates about locations for GE mosquito field trials
Scientists in England is eying the Caribbean as one of the possible locations for field trials of a new technique to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads dengue fever. [...] Dr Alphey, Oxitec's founder and chief scientist, said his company was now negotiating with governments in south east Asia, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. He did not say specifically which countries he had in mind.
06.12.2007
Europe imports non-GE U.S. sorghum to replace GE corn
Strong foreign demand was cited for a sharp rally in grain sorghum basis, where values rose 10-18 cents per CWT above those seen Tuesday. ?Europe, which doesn?t want genetically modified corn from the U.S., is turning to milo instead, with USDA announcing the sale of 7.875 million bushels to unknown destinations,? earlier this week, pointed out Bryce Knorr of Farm Futures. The USDA has inspected nearly 92 million bushels of the feed grain for shipment to other countries thus far this marketing-year, which is nearly two-and-a-half times the amount shipped by this point in the 2006-07 season.
