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India to rule on future of aubergine as India’s first genetically modified food |
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A fierce row over the future of the humble aubergine, staple ingredient of fiery brinjal curries for tens of millions of Indians, will reach a climax on Wednesday [10 Feb] with a key government decision on the possible future commercial cultivation of genetically-modified strains of the plant. If permission is given, the aubergine will become the first GM foodstuff to be grown in India. Campaigners question the evidence, and argue that commercial interests have overly influenced the regulatory process. They say the 2,000-odd varieties of aubergine cultivated in India would be threatened if Bt Brinjal was introduced. "It is a hugely important decision, not just for India, for the whole world," said Dr Shiva Vandana, director of a network of groups campaigning against GM foods in India, and a key figure in the development of international biosafety treaties. "The question is whether or not public opinion will be listened to."
The Guardian (9 Feb, p.18)
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GMO-Free Is Fastest-Growing Corporate-Brand Claim |
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GMO-Free Is Fastest-Growing Corporate-Brand Claim
According to the Nielsen Co. GMO-free claims are the fastest growing among store brands in America. Sales of these items increased 67% in 2009 to $60.2 million.
Supermarket News.com |
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GM Crops Facing Meltdown in the USA |
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Major crops genetically modified for just two traits - herbicide tolerance and insect resistance – are ravaged by super weeds and secondary pests in the heartland of GMOs as farmers fight a losing battle with more of the same; a fundamental shift to organic farming practices may be the only salvation. An ISIS Report 01/02/10
For further information go to: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/GMCropsFacingMeltdown.php |
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Anti-GM lobby anger at new Rothamstead director |
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The appointment of a leading biotech scientist as head of the UK’s biggest agricultural research body has caused debate. Soil Association’s policy manager Emma Hockridge said the appointment would be ‘bad news for UK agriculture’ if, Prof Maloney focuses Rothamsted’s research on GM. She highlighted the recent IAASTD report, produced by over 400 scientists from across the globe, which concluded that GM had little to offer in meeting the major global food and farming challenges.
Farmers Guardian (22 Jan) |
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Fears grow as study shows genetically modified crops 'can cause liver and kidney damage' |
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"According to the research, animals fed on three strains of genetically modified maize created by the U.S. biotech firm Monsanto suffered signs of organ damage after just three months. The findings only came to light after Monsanto was forced to publish its raw data on safety tests by anti-GM campaigners. They add to the evidence that GM crops may damage health as well as be harmful to the environment."
Read more in Mailonline . |
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GM - a failing technology with no future |
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Responding to Professor John Beddington's speech to the Oxford Farming Conference today, Emma Hockridge, policy manager of the Soil Association, said:
"GM is not going to feed a growing world population sustainably, now or in the future. We need far-reaching changes to our food and farming systems, rather than GM technology, which, despite millions in public and private research expenditure, has consistently failed to deliver food security.
"Climate change and diminishing resources, like oil and phosphates, are impacting negatively on farming, and demand scientific expertise and excellence to tackle them. Research into Marker Assisted Selection (MAS), which is now leading the way in new crop developments, is enormously important and should be supported.
"We also need to highlight the contribution that agro-ecological and organic farming, with its lower-oil and chemical inputs, can make - as well as encouraging citizens to adopt sustainable diets that change with the seasons and to support local production - these actions will provide greater resilience for our food supplies than outmoded techno-fixes.
"It is striking that the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural affairs Hilary Benn didn’t mention GM in his speech to the Oxford Farming Conference yesterday – this is the most half hearted and feeble endorsement of GM since the technology arrived twenty years ago."
Taken from the Soil Association Website . |
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Monsanto is the winner of the Angry Mermaid Award 2009 |
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"The winner of the Angry Mermaid Award 2009, announced by award-winning writer and journalist Naomi Klein at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen today is the biotech giant Monsanto with 37% of the total vote.
Oil giant Shell took second place (18%) in the Award for lobbying to sabotage effective action on climate change, followed by the American Petroleum Institute (14%).
Ten thousand people voted in the Angry Mermaid Award, named after the iconic Copenhagen mermaid who is angry about corporate lobbying on climate change."
For more information go to the FoE Europe website . |
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$2 million verdict against Bayer CropScience |
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Bayer CropScience LP must pay about $2 million for losses sustained by two Missouri farmers when an experimental variety of rice the company was testing cross-bred with their crops, a federal jury ruled. For the full article see St Louis Today (5 Dec) . |
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