Informationsdienst Gentechnik News from GMO Free Regions 2012-02-07T12:04:58Z GMO free database Informationsdienst Gentechnik Monsanto says won’t sell GMO maize in France in 2012 25128 2012-01-26T10:00:00Z 2012-01-26T10:00:00Z
U.S. biotech firm Monsanto said on Tuesday it does not plan to sell its genetically modified maize MON810 in France this year, nor after, even though the country’s highest court overturned a 3-year ban in November. “Monsanto considers that favorable conditions for the sale of the MON810 in France in 2012 and beyond are not in place,” the company said in a statement, adding that it had told the French authorities about its intentions.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik France upholds ban on Monsanto GM maize in 2012 25074 2012-01-16T10:20:00Z 2012-01-16T10:20:00Z
The French government said on Friday it would uphold its ban on a strain of genetically modified maize developed by U.S. biotech firm Monsanto in 2012, even though France’s highest court overturned the moratorium last year. The ecology and agriculture ministers said in a statement they would maintain the ban on MON810, an insect-resistant strain of maize which is sold in several European countries, after meeting with farming groups.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Minister of Agriculture of Zimbabwe defends GE crop ban 25058 2012-01-11T10:20:00Z 2012-01-11T10:20:00Z
ZIMBABWE will not allow the production of Genetically Modified Organisms even if they could help ensure food sufficiency, agriculture mechanisation minister, Dr Joseph Made has insisted. Made said the government would, instead, concentrate on making available fertilizer, seeds, irrigation and other essential farm inputs to boost food production rather than use cheaper but unsustainable means which have a detrimental impact on the environment. “Scientific research shows that GMOs contain toxic substances, are less nutritious than non-GMOs and have negative effects on humans and the environment,” he said here Thursday.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Government of Kerala (India) will not allow GE crop trials and research 25057 2012-01-11T10:15:00Z 2012-01-11T10:15:00Z
The Oommen Chandy Government will not permit any trials on genetically modified crops in the state. What is more, it has also been stated that even research on GM will not be permitted within the boundaries of the state. A communication from the Agriculture Department to the city-based NGO Thanal has said that the State Government’s stand regarding this has already been conveyed to the Union Government. While the previous LDF Government had categorically stated that Kerala would be a GM-free state, this could be the first written document from the present government saying the GM ban would continue to be in place.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic monitors GM seeds 24991 2011-12-29T10:05:00Z 2011-12-29T10:05:00Z
The Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic is concerned about genetically modified seeds being brought into the country by the multinacional Monsanto and the Eurosuministros company. These products, they say, affect the island’s genetic pool and create a monopoly that puts local farmers out of business. “As these organisms are modified they are not natural products. Biologically speaking, any modified product has an unknown effect on the organisms of humans, and of the animals that we eat, which are fed on this genetically modified material”, said Academy president Milciades Mejía.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Azores (Portugal) declared GMO-free zone 24986 2011-12-28T10:10:00Z 2011-12-28T10:10:00Z
The regional government of the Azores archipelago on the mid-Atlantic ridge has declared it is a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) free zone. As such, the region “prohibits the growing, sowing, planting nor breeding of any GMOs throughout its territory”. The regulation still permits exceptions for scientific research and technological development that are clearly in the public’s interest.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Boulder County (USA) anti-GMO activists look ahead to 2012 24981 2011-12-27T10:15:00Z 2011-12-27T10:15:00Z
Conrad Lattes, an attorney for the open space department, told the Food and Agriculture Council, which took up the GMO issue in November, that residents could not force a referendum on their own. “If the county commissioners desired to put that question to the people in a referred measure, they could do that,” he said. “If they do not want to put that question to the voters, that issue could not be initiated by the citizens.” But some in the anti-GMO movement have resolved to make the planting of genetically engineered crops a platform issue for commissioner candidates next year. Two of the three county commissioner seats will be up in 2012.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Monsanto spent $2 million lobbying U.S. government in Q3 2011 24952 2011-12-20T10:15:00Z 2011-12-20T10:15:00Z
Monsanto Co. spent $2 million in the third quarter to lobby the federal government on issues including regulations for genetically engineered crops and patent reforms, according to a recent disclosure report. [...] The company lobbied the Congress and the Department of Justice on issues surrounding agricultural consolidation and antitrust enforcement.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Database on the risks of genetically engineered crop plants published 24949 2011-12-20T10:00:00Z 2011-12-20T10:00:00Z
Testbiotech is today publishing a database designed to give an overview of the risks associated with genetically engineered plants allowed for marketing in the European Union, or being about to be authorised soon. The current version of the database, called PlantGeneRisk, gives an overview of thirteen genetically engineered crops, four soy plants and nine maize plants. Ten of these plants already have EU authorisation for use, import and usage in food and feed, one of them is also allowed for cultivation.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Arkansas Supreme Court affirms $50M damage verdict for farmers with GE contaminated rice 24900 2011-12-13T10:05:00Z 2011-12-13T10:05:00Z
The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed a nearly $50 million verdict for farmers who say they lost money because a company’s genetically altered rice seeds contaminated the food supply and drove down crop prices. Bayer, the German conglomerate whose Bayer CropScience subsidiary produced the seeds, had argued that Arkansas tort laws set a limit on punitive damages and that courts should set aside jury awards that “shock the conscience.” In the April 2010 verdict, a Lonoke County jury awarded $42 million in punitive damages and $5.9 million in actual damages.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Women farmers network oppose Bt eggplant trials in Davao City (Philippines) 24896 2011-12-12T10:25:00Z 2011-12-12T10:25:00Z
SMALL organic farmers in Davao City hailed Mayor Sara Duterte’s stance in opposing the second round of Bt talong field testing in Davao City. Tranquilina Alibango of Kababaihang Nagtataglay ng Bihirang Lakas (KNBL), a network of women farmers in the city’s third congressional district, welcomed the city mayor’s move, saying it showed her commitment towards protecting the welfare of small organic farmers.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Yield increase through Bt cotton a myth as data show 24868 2011-12-07T10:20:00Z 2011-12-07T10:20:00Z
Local perceptions and myth are that Bt cotton increases yields, but the available data tells a different story. According to the data published by United States Department of Agriculture, the agriculture cotton data about Pakistan and Australia clearly shows that average yields have remained the same between 1990 and 2010, although Bt technology is being experimented in Australia since 1996 and in Pakistan informally since 2005. In Australia, yield per acre in 1991 (before Bt cotton) was 1,588 lbs and in 2010 (with BG-II & RRF) was 1,457 lbs. Similarly, in Pakistan, the yield was 685 pounds per acre in 1990-91 but it went down to 622 pounds per acre in 2009.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Puerto Rico - Monsanto’s Caribbean experiment 24829 2011-11-29T10:25:00Z 2011-11-29T10:25:00Z
When environmentalist Juan Rosario traveled to an Amish religious community in Iowa, to learn to make compost, he was surprised that they had a laboratory and the services of an expert in chemistry. What was a scientist doing in a place where people live far from technology and practice ecological farming with the simplest of methods? An Amish dressed in their style, with a wide-brimmed black hat, white shirt, and black pants and black jacket, pointed toward a large cornfield on a nearby farm. “The scientist helps us verify that pollen from genetically modified corn does not contaminate our crops,” he told Juan Rosario. “It’s the same corn that you develop in Salinas.”
Informationsdienst Gentechnik French court annuls ban on growing Monsanto GM MON810 maize 24828 2011-11-29T10:20:00Z 2011-11-29T10:20:00Z
France’s highest court on Monday overturned France’s ban on growing a strain of genetically modified maize (corn) developed by U.S. biotech firm Monsanto, saying it was not sufficiently justified. The decision follows a ruling by the European Court of Justice in early September saying France had based its decision to impose a moratorium on the growing of Monsanto’s insect-resistant MON810 maize on the wrong EU legislation. Suspension or banning measures ought to be taken at European Union level unless a member state can demonstrate a potentially serious risk to human or animal health or the environment, the courts said.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Approving the GM potato in the EU: conflicts of interest, flawed science and fierce lobbying 24789 2011-11-22T10:15:00Z 2011-11-22T10:15:00Z
In March 2010, the European Commission approved BASF’s genetically modified Amflora potato for cultivation in the European Union. CEO has investigated the background to this decision, including the controversial scientific advice provided by the European Food Safety Authority on the use of antibiotic resistant marker genes. CEO found that more than half of EFSA’s GMO panel had conflicts of interest, as defined by the OECD. Their advice, which contravened WHO guidelines, contributed to the approval of the GM potato - and is likely to lead to the approval of similar GM crops in the near future.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Peru’s Congress approves 10-year GMO ban 24700 2011-11-07T10:10:00Z 2011-11-07T10:10:00Z
Peru’s Congress announced Friday it overwhelmingly approved a 10-year moratorium on imports of genetically modified organisms in order to safeguard the country’s biodiversity. The measure bars GMOs -- including seeds, livestock, and fish -- from being imported for cultivation or to be raised locally. Exceptions include the use of GMO products for research purposes in a closed environment, but those will be closely monitored, the legislature’s official news service said.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik EuropaBio secretly recruiting high-profile ”ambassadors” to lobby European leaders on GM policy 24602 2011-10-21T10:00:00Z 2011-10-21T10:00:00Z
Europe’s largest and most influential biotech industry group, whose members include Monsanto, Bayer and other GM companies, is recruiting high-profile ”ambassadors” to lobby European leaders on GM policy. [...] The 10 or more ambassadors will not be paid directly, but the lobbyists have offered to write, research and place articles in their names, arrange interviews and speaking engagements with the Financial Times and other international media, and secure for them what could be lucrative speaking slots at major conferences.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Belize government orders destruction of illegal GE maize - Toledo Maya call for ban 24526 2011-10-10T10:30:00Z 2011-10-10T10:30:00Z
The Toledo Maya who have been planting corn for genertions are skeptical of these claims, because innumerable other schemes have been foisted upon them by agricultural “experts” over the decades,causing hardship for the Maya while their traditional methods continue to sustain them. They see GMO corn as a dangerous experiment which can cause them grief. The Toledo Maya are not the only opponents to GMO crops being introduced to Belize, Mark Miller of Punta Gorda Town also called for the Belize Agricultural Health Authority to stop any importation of GMO seed until proper consultations with the public can be held.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Canadian GM canola has escaped into wilds of North Dakota (USA) 24505 2011-10-06T10:00:00Z 2011-10-06T10:00:00Z
Genetically modified canola has escaped from the farm and is thriving in the wild across North Dakota, according to a study that indicates there are plenty of novel man-made genes crossing the Canada-U.S. border. GM canola was found growing everywhere from ditches to parking lots, the scientists report, with some of the highest densities along a trucking route into Canada. [...] At almost half of the 634 stops they found genetically modified canola. At some locations there were thousands of GM plants growing. [...] Perhaps most significant, they said, is the fact that two of plants had combinations of herbicide resistance that had not been developed commercially. “That suggests to us there is breeding going on, either in the field or in these roadside populations, to create new combinations of traits,” said Sagers. “In terms of evolutionary biology it’s pretty amazing.”
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Battle escalates against genetically modified crops in the USA 24499 2011-10-05T10:10:00Z 2011-10-05T10:10:00Z
Home to a fast-growing network of farmers’ markets, cooperatives and organic farms, but also the breeding ground for mammoth for-profit corporations that now hold patents to over 50 percent of the world’s seeds, the United States is weathering a battle between Big Agro and a ripening movement for food justice and security. Conflicting ideologies about agriculture have become ground zero for this war over the production, distribution and consumption of the world’s food.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Greenpeace reports suspension of GE rice commercialization in China 24469 2011-09-27T10:10:00Z 2011-09-27T10:10:00Z
The Chinese government may be taking a bold new step by halting the commercialization of GE rice. It’s a move that we at Greenpeace would widely welcome as the long-term effects of GE products on human health are still unknown. China’s major financial weekly the Economic Observer quoted on Friday, Sept 23rd, 2011, an information source close to the Ministry of Agriculture that China has suspended the commercialization of genetically engineered rice.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Monsanto, DuPont Pioneer, and Dow Chemical apply for larger GE maize trials in Mexico 24433 2011-09-20T10:15:00Z 2011-09-20T10:15:00Z
Permits to plant large extensions of genetically modified corn for the first time in Mexico are likely to be approved before the end of the year, said a company lobby group on Monday. Monsanto, DuPont’s Pioneer seed unit and Dow Chemical’s agricultural arm have all applied to expand on tiny experimental plots of GM corn in northern Mexico, said AgroBIO, an organization that represents the biotech companies. The group expects the government will approve more sizable pilot plots for the corn-growing state of Sinaloa by the end of October and in Tamaulipas by November with other states following soon after.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Turkey – the delicate GM balance 24424 2011-09-19T10:15:00Z 2011-09-19T10:15:00Z
Turkey’s economy grew in Q2 for the ninth successive quarter, and by 8.8% on the previous year. The rate of GDP growth surprised even the central bank, and while inflation is not yet a concern, food prices are high and rising. This has brought the complicated issue of genetically modified food to the fore, with a request to the government from feed, poultry and egg producers to allow imports of three types of genetically GM corn to be used as animal and chicken feed. “We can solve our raw material problem only through imports,” says Ulku Karakus, chief of the Turkish Feed Industrialists Union, explaining the problem. “Costly feed translates into expensive meat. Unless we pull down the cost of feed, we cannot drive down meat prices.”
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Poland calls for cooperation on GMO bans 24396 2011-09-13T16:05:00Z 2011-09-13T16:05:00Z
Is Europe in favour of the freedom of Member States as regards a ban on cultivation of GMOs within their territories? The Polish government, holding the EU presidency in the second half of 2011, calls upon EU member states to come forward with their opinions on a pending proposal of the EU Commission to allow for national bans of GMO cultivation.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik EU Court of Justice rules that honey containing pollen with unapproved GE events cannot be marketed 24370 2011-09-06T18:15:00Z 2011-09-06T18:15:00Z
honey containing pollen with unapproved GE events cannot be marketedHoney containing pollen from genetically modified maize MON 810 is not marketable. This was announced by the European court of justice today in its groundbreaking verdict. Even tiniest traces of genetically modified (GM) material in food or feeding stuff demand a safety control and a special approval following genetical engineering law. Without an approval, it is illegal to market such food. With this decision, the German beekeepers‘ association Mellifera e. V. celebrates a big success as it means that bee keepers have a right of compensation if their honey has been contaminated with genetically modified poll that has not been approved as food. The dispute arose between Mr Bablok, an amateur beekeeper, and Freistaat Bayern (State of Bavaria, Germany), which owns a number of plots of land on which MON 810 maize has been cultivated for research purposes in recent years. In 2005 MON 810 maize DNA and genetically modified proteins were detected in the maize pollen harvested by Mr Bablok in beehives situated 500 metres from the plots of land belonging to Freistaat Bayern. Very small amounts of MON 810 maize DNA were also detected in a number of samples of Mr Bablok's honey. As German authorities held that such contaminations have to be tolerated, Mr Bablok, together with the help of Mellifera e.V., brought legal proceedings against Freistaat Bayern before the German courts and claimed for the damage. Due to unsettled questions of European law, the Bavarian Higher Administrative Court presented a few decision points to the European Court of Justice in 2009. Today, the court decided in favour of the bee keepers and consumers who predominantly disapprove of genetically engineered organisms in their food. On the occasion of the judgement, the environmental organisation BUND (friends of the earth germany) requests the German government to regulate the protection of honey in the genetical engineering law.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik US Embassy in Sofia (Bulgaria) backed pro-GMO lobby 24321 2011-08-29T10:20:00Z 2011-08-29T10:20:00Z
According to the cables, GMO supporters in Bulgaria are actively backed and financed by the American Embassy, as Bivol writes. In a cable, sent in 2006, Charge d’Affaires, Alex Karagiannis, informs the US Department of State that the main obstacle for the passing of more liberal GMO legislation has been opposition coming from the President of the Bulgarian Academy of Science, Ivan Juchnovski. “According to Atanas Atanassov, Director of the Agro-Bio Institute, Juchnovski sent various “experts”, who knew little about the science of GMOs, to the Environmental and Agriculture Parliamentary Committees to critique the draft law.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Polish president vetoes law on seeds due to 24304 2011-08-25T10:10:00Z 2011-08-25T10:10:00Z
President Bronislaw Komorowski vetoed a new controversial seeds bill, which fails to properly regulate GMO production but does not ban it [...] Though he himself is not against GMOs, he says the bill is a ”bad and irresponsible” piece of legislation with controversial provisions relating to GMOs included at the last moment. ”It is bad legislative practice to throw socially controversial problems into a bill at the very last moment,” Komorowski said last week.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Public pressure halts GE pharma crop trials in Spain 24262 2011-08-19T10:20:00Z 2011-08-19T10:20:00Z
Friends of the Earth Spain celebrates the suspension of GM trials with human genes after mass mobilisations by the general public. Valencia’s local government has revoked the permit of an Italian pharmaceutical company to experiment with GM rice combined with human genes in Vinaros, Castellon. [...] The aim of the GM trial was to obtain enzymes to treat Gaucher’s disease. However, there are several treatments for this disease that are obtained through genetic engineering in confined environments.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Heat on Monsanto over brinjal piracy 24253 2011-08-18T10:15:00Z 2011-08-18T10:15:00Z
American seed giant Monsanto and its Indian collaborator, Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company are to be prosecuted for allegedly ‘stealing’ indigenous plant material for developing genetically modified brinjal variety known as Bt brinjal. The National Biodiversity Authority, a statutory body set up under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, has decided to initiate legal proceedings against the two companies and their collaborators for using indigenous brinjal germplasm without necessary permission.
Informationsdienst Gentechnik Bharatiya Kisan Sangh and other organisations ask Monsanto to quit India 24221 2011-08-10T10:25:00Z 2011-08-10T10:25:00Z
The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh and several NGOs took out a protest on Tuesday against US genetically-modified seed producer Monsanto. They took out their protest on the lines of the ‘Quit India Movement’ launched by Mahatma Gandhi against the British on August 9, 1942, and asked Monsanto to stop its activities in the country and quit India. NGO representatives told mediapersons at Gujarat Vidyapeeth that if Monsanto gets total control over the country’s agriculture, it will begin interfering in the political affairs and virtually become another ‘East India Company’.