infOMG - Info Center about genetically modified organisms

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A new GMO Free Zone in Romania

08/05/2012

8th of April, 2012, Romania. The Local Action Group (GAL) Podisul Mediasului Microregion, with the support of the Eco Ruralis association and the GMO Information Centre (InfOMG) is officially launching a new Zone Free of Genetically Modified Organisms. During the General Assembly from 25 April, which took place in Dumbraveni village, Sibiu county, the Local Action Group Podisul Mediasului Microregion unanimously voted in favor of the public declaration stating that Podisul Mediasului becomes a GMO free Zone. Some of the most important reasons behind this decision include: the risks on the health of consumers and the environment, the negative impact on the local economy and farmers rights as well as the lack of a reliable control system which would ensure GMO labeling on the Romanian market.

Rothamsted Is An 'Act Of Terrorism' Protest Group Say

02/05/2012

The anti-GM activists who are threatening to destroy experiment on genetically modified crops have said they feel they have "no choice" and allowing the crop to continue would be "completely irresponsible." In response to a plea from John Pickett, a chemical ecologist leading pioneering research at Rothamsted in Hertfordshire, Matt Thomson, a spokesperson for the group Take the Flour back said the scientists were being "rather melodramatic." Pickett, in an open letter published on Wednesday, said the activists risked destroying their lives' work and ruining a project that could protect the environment.

India's Transgenic Cotton Is Not The Super-Crop That Was Promised

03/05/2012

Dwindling production, rising costs, new diseases: ten years after genetically-modified cotton was introduced in India with high hopes of boosting the economy, farmers are deeply disappointed with its results and wondering if it was all worth it. Ten years after its debut, genetically modified cotton is a huge disappointment. Plants are vulnerable to new diseases, yields are far lower than expected. The Andhra Pradesh state government recently announced that the 2011 harvest was much lower than the 2010 crop.

5 Indian Farmers Commit Suicide in Past Two Days Over Debts & That's Just in One District of One State

02/05/2012

That Indian farmers have been committing suicide at depressingly shocking rates, due most often to high debts incurred when the industrial agriculture techniques and/or GM crop seeds they've been told will make them wealthy don't quite pan out as promised, is a long-running issue at the intersection of environmental and social justice—but this latest news is particularly stark. The Times of India reports that in the past 48 hours five farmers in just one district of the state of Maharashtra have killed themselves, all over high debts. For the year, just five months and two days old, 332 farmers have chosen to end their lives because of debt.

Genetically modified crops' results raise concern

30/04/2012

Biotechnology's promise to feed the world did not anticipate "Trojan corn," "super weeds" and the disappearance of monarch butterflies. But in the Midwest and South - blanketed by more than 170 million acres of genetically engineered corn, soybeans and cotton - an experiment begun in 1996 with approval of the first commercial genetically modified organisms is producing questionable results. Those results include vast increases in herbicide use that have created impervious weeds now infesting millions of acres of cropland, while decimating other plants, such as milkweeds that sustain the monarch butterflies.

Dow's new corn - time bomb or farmers' dream?

24/04/2012

A new biotech corn developed by Dow AgroSciences could answer the prayers of U.S. farmers plagued by a fierce epidemic of super-weeds. Or it could trigger a flood of dangerous chemicals that may make weeds even more resistant and damage other important U.S. crops. Or, it could do both. "Enlist," entering the final stages of regulatory approval, has become the latest flashpoint in the debate about the risks and rewards about farm technology. With a deadline to submit public comments on Dow's proposal at the end of this week, more than 5,000 individuals and groups have already weighed in. Dow Agrosciences hopes to have the product approved this year and released by the 2013 crop.

Sofia Gatica receives Goldman Prize for the campaign against Monsanto in Argentina

18/04/2012

Argentina is the world’s third largest exporter of soybeans. Every year, the industry spreads over 50 million gallons of agro-toxins—namely glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s widely-used herbicide Roundup, and endosulfan—through aerial spraying over farmland. While Monsanto claims there is no risk to humans, a 2008 scientific study found that even at low concentrations, glyphosate causes the death of human embryonic, placental and umbilical cells. Endosulfan is a highly toxic pesticide that has been banned in 80 countries because of its threats to human health and the environment. In May 2011, it was added to the UN list of persistent organic pollutants to be eliminated worldwide.

GMO labels for products coming

18/04/2012

Turkey’s Minister of Agriculture Mehdi Eker gave the green light to label products from animals that have been fed genetically modified feed such as corn and soy. This is one of the conditions that Green Peace Turkey has recently been pushing for. Meat, milk, eggs, cheese and other products derived from animals, which have been fed genetically modified organism (GMO), will now be labeled to provide consumers with a choice when purchasing products.

Genetically modified corn affects its symbiotic relationship with non-target soil organisms

17/04/2012

An increasing number of crops commercially grown today are genetically modified (GM) to resist insect pests and/or tolerate herbicides. Although Bt corn is one of the most commonly grown GM crops in the United States, little is known about its effects on the long-term health of soils. Although there are many benefits to using biotechnology in agriculture, such as potentially reducing insecticide use, there may be unintended side effects as well—does GM corn impact non-target soil organisms, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, or affect plants subsequently grown in the same field?

As Roundup's effect fades, farming costs rise

17/04/2012

A much-used herbicide, which for years has helped farmers throughout the United States increase profits, is losing its effectiveness and forcing producers to spend more and use more chemicals to control the weeds that threaten yields. "I've gone from budgeting $45 an acre just two years ago to spending more than $100 an acre now to control weeds," said Mississippi farmer John McKee, who grows corn, cotton and soybeans on his 3,300-acre farm in the Delta.

GM protesters dump 'giant' pasty at DEFRA offices

11/04/2012

Protestors have ramped up their campaign against genetically modified wheat trials, by delivering a 'giant' pasty to the DEFRA offices. Members of the group, called "Take the Flour Back", carried the pasty, which they claimed was 4ft-long but appeared to be no bigger than 8 inches long and dumped it at the front door of the offices on Wednesday (13 April). DEFRA workers had to step over a carpet of toast laid out on the steps to enter the offices as protestors lobbied officials. The toast carried the message "GM wheat? Pull it out or we will".