Actualité
25.10.2008
U.S. Biotechnology Industry Organization questions proposed GE pharmacrop rules in Orgeon (USA)
Oregon’s proposed biopharm crop regulations overstep the state’s authority and are unnecessary, according to a biotech industry executive. At a hearing on the proposed rules Tuesday, Oct. 14, Michael Wach, a director for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said: ”As drafted, the proposal appears to exceed the state’s authority to act in several important ways.” Federal law prohibits states from implementing laws or regulations that exceed USDA regulations, he said.
25.10.2008
Snowstorm slows GE beet harvest in Idaho (USA)
A snowstorm over the weekend of Oct. 10 through 12 slowed the sugar beet harvest in Idaho just as it was getting under way, said an official of Amalgamated Sugar Co. in Boise. [...] He said the new Roundup Ready beets, which the co-op is using commercially for the first time this year, should help. The genetically enhanced beet, whose sugar is identical to sugar from conventional beets, allows the use of the herbicide Roundup. It’s more effective and less costly overall than existing weed-control chemicals for conventional beets.
25.10.2008
U.S. students develop GE yeast for anti-cancer beer
College students often spend their free time thinking about beer, but some Rice University students are taking it to the next level. They’re using genetic engineering to create beer that contains resveratrol, a chemical in wine that’s been shown to reduce cancer and heart disease in lab animals. Rice’s ”BioBeer” will be entered in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition Nov. 8-9 in Cambridge, Mass. It’s the world’s largest synthetic biology competition, a contest where teams use a standard toolkit of DNA building blocks -- think genetic LEGO blocks -- to create living organisms that do odd things.
25.10.2008
Genetically engineered animals in the U.S. food supply
”This is a cutting-edge technology that has significant implications, including real benefits, not just for human health, but also for animal health, such as developing disease-resistant animals,” said Dr. Bernadette M. Dunham, director of the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. The AVMA responded to the FDA guidance with a statement that noted potential benefits of GE animals while urging stakeholders to keep animal welfare in mind. ”The development and appropriate regulation of this technology has widespread applications in advancing our knowledge of diseases, food safety, environmental conservation, and efficient food and fiber production,” wrote Dr. W. Ron DeHaven, AVMA chief executive officer, in the AVMA response.
24.10.2008
Delay hits South Africa’s Consumer Protection Bill
The Consumer Protection Bill hit a hurdle in the national council of provinces last week when an opposition MP pointed out that thorough consultation about an amendment regarding genetically modified organisms (GMO) appeared not to have been carried out. Economics and foreign affairs select committee chairman Mbhazima Sibiya, of the ANC, agreed that the committee should not hasten the passage of the legislation at the cost of not abiding by the rules.
24.10.2008
Victorian (Australia) Government blocks council GM ban
THE Victorian Government has rejected moves by several shires to declare themselves GM-free zones. Greater Bendigo, Yarra Ranges, South Gippsland, Moreland, East Gippsland and Bass Coast in Victoria have declared themselves GM free, in the wake of the Government lifting the ban on genetically modified canola earlier this year. [...] But a spokesman said the Government supported giving Victorian farmers choice on the crops they grew. ”This support remains,” he said.
24.10.2008
S&P raises ratings on seed maker Monsanto
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said Tuesday it raised its long-term ratings on Monsanto Co. because of the seed and herbicide maker’s solid market position, strong demand for its products and high research and development spending. Standard & Poor’s increased the ratings on Monsanto, the world’s largest seed maker, to ’A+’ from ’A.’ It also affirmed the St. Louis-based company’s ’A-1’ short-term ratings. All of the ratings are investment grade.
24.10.2008
Ugandan scientists prepare to fight cotton disease and pests with GE cotton
Scientists in Uganda will soon begin testing the genetically modified cotton in their laboratories to prove whether they are resistant to cotton wilt and other related cotton diseases, which has been destroying the conventional cotton plant. The government recently gave a go ahead for scientists to carry out the above research just as they have been doing to other crops such as the East African Highland banana and cassava.
24.10.2008
Pakistan considers to pay USD 247 mill technology fee for Monsanto’s Bt cotton
The government is considering a multinational company’s offer of selling its Bt cotton by paying a seed subsidy of $247 million (Rs19 billion) annually, The News has learnt. [...] Earlier, Punjab government was also interested in getting Bollguard-I technology, an obsolete technology, by paying Rs5 billion but it was blocked by the opposition from the federal government. The company also requested MINFAL to completely ban the existing Bt varieties in the local market, thus having a monopoly of this multinational company, another official familiar with the development told this correspondent.
24.10.2008
Syngenta handed over Brazilian experimental farm to Parana Government
A long standing land dispute in Brazil between landless workers movements and a Swiss multinational, which led to the deaths of two men, has been brought to a conclusion. Agrochemical business Syngenta has handed over its experimental farm in Paraná state to the state government, marking an end to violent conflict over the site. Syngenta gave the land to the Paraná state government on 14 October 2008. The government has promised to use the land for the production of native seeds for distribution to small holder farmers and impoverished countries who have suffered devastation from hurricanes.
23.10.2008
U.S. Grain Council iotech Conference aims to enable trade, feed the hungry
There are 6.6 billion people in the world and the population is growing at a rapid pace. Ken Hobbie, U.S. Grains Council president and CEO said almost 20 percent (1.3 billion) of the total population live on less than one dollar a day. ”That’s one in every five people living on less than $365 a year,” said Hobbie. ”These statistics make clear the absolute need to continue boosting global livestock and poultry sectors to feed the growing population. At the same time, they reinforce the critical need to educate international biotechnology regulators about the important role biotechnology plays in feeding a hungry world.”
- U.S. Grains Council, USA (16.10.2008): USGC Biotech Conference aims to enable trade, feed the hungry
- U.S. Grains Council, USA (17.10.2008): Biotechnology allows U.S. farmers to satisfy global demands
- The Des Moines Register, USA (16.10.2008): Foreign visitors hear Iowans tout biotech crop advantages
- The Des Moines Register, USA (17.10.2008): Seed company has expensive monopoly
23.10.2008
GM crops deserve more reasoned debate
As the world considers how to respond, the debate about genetically modified (GM) crops has inevitably reared its ugly head. ’Ugly’ because the public exchange about this technology has usually seen extreme viewpoints gaining the most airtime. For example, in the United Kingdom, Prince Charles’ spirited but ill-informed attack on GM crops this summer led to a flurry of opinionated responses. We could have been back in the polarised debates of the earlier part of this decade.
23.10.2008
Biotechnology credited with helping corn crop survive rough weather
This year, much of the nation’s Corn Belt suffered from above-normal wet weather that either caused planting delays or flooded fields, forcing farmers to replant. [...] But despite the rain, Nebraska’s corn crop is forecast at 1.39 billion bushels. Yield is forecast at 161 bushels per acre, four bushels above last month’s forecast and the second highest of record, 5 bushels below the previous high set in 2004. The reason for the high productivity is biotechnology crops, according to a new study from grain crop specialists and entomologists at the University of Kentucky.
23.10.2008
Delays in GM authorisation costing EU livestock sector 2,500 million Euros
Delays in authorising GM traits in feed and a zero tolerance on non-authorised material has accounted for about 15% of the losses incurred by the livestock sector - some 2,500 million Euros in the past year, according to a report sent to European Commission President Dr José Manuel Barroso. The case study report, prepared by COCERAL, FEFAC and UECBV with UK input from the Agricultural Industries Confederation, recognises that the poor harvest in 2007 was a key problem, but the inability to import feedstuffs from around the world also had a significant impact.
23.10.2008
A Declaration of Seed Sovereignty: A living document for New Mexico
26. Be it further resolved that we consider genetic modification and the potential contamination of our landraces by GE technology a continuation of genocide upon indigenous people and as malicious and sacrilegious acts toward our ancestry, culture, and future generations.
27. Be it further resolved that we object to the cultivation of GE seeds in general but especially within range of our traditional agricultural systems that can lead to the contamination of our seeds, wild plants, traditional foods, and cultural property.
28. Be it further resolved that we will work with each other, local, tribal, and state governments to create zones that will be free of genetically engineered and transgenic organisms.
23.10.2008
Red, green or GMO? The future of chile agriculture in New Mexico (USA)
Scientists believe genetically modified chile seeds could be the answer to the crop’s woes. But farmers like Brascoupe fear the changes could affect traditional communities, family farms and the future of the chile itself. In fact, two years ago, the New Mexico Acequia Association and the Traditional Native American Farmers Association drafted ”A Declaration of Seed Sovereignty: A living document for New Mexico.”
22.10.2008
GE crops prohibited in Lake County (California, USA)
Genetically engineered crops are prohibited in Lake County after a 3-2 vote by the Lake County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. Supervisors Rob Brown and Jeff Smith voted against the ban. The vote came after three and a half hours of discussion. The board took input on both sides of the issue from farmers, business owners and representatives from the Lake County Farm Bureau, Lake County Agricultural Department, Lake County Sierra Club, Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce and California Certified Organic Farmers.
- Lake County Record-Bee, USA (21.10.2008): GE crops prohibited in county
- The Press Democrat, USA (21.10.2008): Lake County bans genetically modified crops
- Lake County News, USA (20.10.2008): GE crop ordinance, subdivision appeal on Tuesday supervisors’ agenda
- Lake County News, USA (18.10.2008): What are GMOs and why should you care?
- Lake County Record-Bee, USA (21.10.2008): Paper’s position on GMO missed several points
- Lake County Record-Bee, USA (16.10.2008): Supervisors to discuss GMO ban
- The Press Democrat, USA (22.10.2008): Lake County votes to ban GMO crops
22.10.2008
France hopes to break GMO deadlock by December
EU envrionment ministers continued to disagree on whether member states should be allowed to establish GMO-free zones for sensitive areas, although they did concur on the need for better long-term environmental risk assessment of GMOs. Following a number of informal discussions earlier this summer, the EU-27 environment ministers debated the bloc’s GMO authorisation procedure in a Council meeting on 20 October. But member states clashed on the issues of protecting sensitive and protected territories and establishing GMO-free zones.
22.10.2008
Italy should lift GM ban
Italy should lift a ban on growing genetically modified crops, Welfare and Health Minister Maurizio Sacconi said on Monday. ’I think it’s time to lift this de facto moratorium which has been in place for many years,’ Sacconi told reporters on the sidelines of an international food forum. Italy does not grow GM crops and opposes use of GM products because of concerns that crops whose genes have been altered, for example to provide higher yields, might contain hidden risks to health or the natural environment.
22.10.2008
EU’s Vassiliou: no need to change GM zero tolerance
Europe’s food safety chief said on Thursday she did not believe there was any need to change the European Union’s ”zero tolerance” policy on unauthorised genetically modified material in food imports. [...] ”My cabinet advises me that there is no need at this point to change the zero tolerance because we have already approved one event, we are in the process of approving a second event.
