Romanian civil society asks the new Minister for Agriculture to NOT Genetically Manipulate Romania
06/09/2010
73 Romanian NGOs have expressed deep concern with regards to the appointment of Romania's new Agricultural Minister, Valeriu Tabara. The main reason for the concern is that Valeriu Tabara has a conflict of interest on the issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), due to his contractual connections with Monsanto - the largest GMO producer in the world. More...

Illegal GM potato variety found in Sweden
06/09/2010
The European Commission has asked German chemicals company BASF to explain why an unauthorised genetically modified variety of potato has been planted in Sweden. More...

Why is Kofi Annan Fronting For Monsanto? The GMO Assault On Africa
03/09/2010
Kofi Annan has joined with President Obama, Monsanto, AGRA, and the Gates foundation to promote and execute food aid that replaces bags of wheat, rice and corn (agricultural dumping) with bags of pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers and genetically engineered seeds. The end result will be to starve people in Africa and feed corporations in the US and Europe. More...

Large Unions Negotiate the Contamination of Romanian Agriculture
01/09/2010
The signers of this document wish to express worry about the fact that the large farming unions FNPAR and AGROSTAR have revealed that they are promoting genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Romanian agriculture. FNPAR and AGROSTAR recently made a public call mobilizing Romanian farmers to participate in demonstrations which will take place in Bucharest on the second of September. In the official document[3] which states the list of demands of the two unions the seventh demand made is „The introduction of cultivation of genetically modified plants, especially genetically modified corn and soy.” More...

Agriculture biotechnology giant Monsanto Co. is slashing hundreds of jobs for a third time in 14 months as it shrinks its Roundup weed killer business in response to declining sales
01/09/2010
Agriculture biotechnology giant Monsanto Co. is slashing hundreds of jobs for a third time in 14 months as it shrinks its Roundup weed killer business in response to declining sales. More...

Bayer CropScience grants seed rights to Monsanto
31/08/2010
Bayer CropScience has reached an agreement to grant Monsanto the rights to commercialize a seed treatment that protects against insects and nematodes. More...

Greenwashing biotech
31/08/2010
Ten years ago, Monsanto tried to convince the world – Europe, in particular –that genetically engineered (GE) crops were needed to ‘feed’ the hungry. At that time, the message was largely greeted with derision as a cynical ploy to sell a product that no one, including people in developing countries, wanted. More...

European Agency Assesses Allergens in GMOs
30/08/2010
The European Food Safety Authority's Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Panel has adopted a scientific opinion to determine the potential for an allergic reaction by genetically modified plants and microorganisms and derived food and feed. More...

A Month Without Monsanto: What Does it Take to Cut out the GMO Giant?
26/08/2010
I began to research where exactly Monsanto corn appeared in my family’s diet. With a little online sleuthing, I learned that in addition to producing the genetically modified corn, Monsanto produces several other genetically modified crops such as soy, sugar beets, and cotton More...

Monsanto in Gates' Clothing? The Emperor's New GMOs
26/08/2010
If you had any doubts about where the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is really placing its bets, AGRA Watch's recent announcement of the Foundation's investment of $23.1 million in 500,000 shares of Monsanto stock should put them to rest. Genetic engineering: full speed ahead. More...

Gates foundation invests in Monsanto
25/08/2010
Farmers and civil society organizations around the world are outraged by the recent discovery of further connections between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and agribusiness titan Monsanto. Last week, a financial website published the Gates Foundation’s investment portfolio, including 500,000 shares of Monsanto stock with an estimated worth of $23.1 million purchased in the second quarter of 2010 More...

Interest up for conventional soybeans
25/08/2010
As glyphosate-resistant weeds sink ever deeper roots into the Mid-South, farmer interest in conventional soybeans is picking up. More...

New GMO Free Zones in Romania - Hartibaciu Micro-region
23/08/2010
The Local Action Group (GAL) Hartibaciu Micro-region, together with the GMO Information Centre (InfOMG), is officially launching a new Zone Free of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in Romania. The new GMO Free area is placed in Sibiu county and it includes 12 communes and 1 city. More...

Genetically Manipulated Crops: The GMO Catastrophe in the USA. A Lesson for the World
18/08/2010
Recently the unelected potentates of the EU Commission in Brussels have sought to override what has repeatedly been shown to be the overwhelming opposition of the European Union population to the spread of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in EU agriculture. EU Commission President now has a Maltese accountant as health and enviromnent Commissioner to rubber stamp the adoption of GMO. The former EU Environment Commissioner from Greece was a ferocious GMO opponent. As well, the Chinese government has indicated it may approve a variety of GMO rice. Before things get too far along, they would do well to take a closer look at the world GMO test lab, the USA. There GMO crops are anything but beneficial. Just the opposite. More...

GMO Crop Catastrophe in USA a lesson for EU
22/08/2010
As the European Union moves closer to approving the cultivation of GMOs despite stiff widespread opposition, it ought to be paying urgent attention to the agricultural arms race unfolding in the United States. More...

Genetically Modified Rape Taking Over North Dakota
08/08/2010
Back when the bright yellow flowers were still known as Rape or Oilseed rape, Brassica napus produced a bitter oil, unsuitable for human consumption and used mainly to lubricate machines. Canadian researchers bred an edible hybrid known as "Canadian Oilseed, Low-Acid" -- or Canola, for short. More...

Greenpeace activists quarantine illegal GE crops in Italy
30/07/2010
Pordenone, Italy - Greenpeace activists from Italy, Austria, Germany and Hungary are quarantining illegal Genetically Engineered (GE) crops being grown in Italy. Wearing safety equipment to protect against contamination, the activists are isolating, cutting and securing the top of the GE maize plants, the part that contains the pollen. More...

EU governments seen opposing GM crop proposals
30/07/2010
European Union governments have signalled their strong opposition to proposals allowing member states to decide whether to grow or ban genetically modified (GM) crops, a Belgian EU Presidency source said on Thursday (29 July). More...

La Via Campesina Call to Action – Help Stop Terminator’s Return!
28/07/2010
Four years after the moratorium on Terminator technology was reaffirmed by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), proposals to develop and commercialize ‘genetic-use restriction technologies’ (GURTs) are back on the agenda for policymakers and the biotechnology industry. Terminator is a threat to food sovereignty and agrobiodiversity: ending the moratorium on Terminator will increase control of seed by transnational corporations (TNCs) and restrictions on farmers’ rights to save and plant harvested seed. Additionally, pollen from genetically-modified (GM) crops with Terminator will contaminate non-GM and organic crops, and native plant species. More...

US worried as EU frees member states to impose GM crops ban
28/07/2010
The United States on Wednesday said it opposed a European Union decision that would free its member states to make their own decisions on whether to grow genetically modified crops. More...

Lobbies trying to force GMOs on Europe
14/07/2010
EXTRACT: José Bové: Science, when it seeks knowledge, can't have limits. But to believe today that all the technologies developed in a lab could be useful is to be in the realm of superstition. It is necessary today to evalutate the technological choices resulting from research, based on scientific, ecoological, economic, social and ethical criteria. This kind of risk assessment is the only way to legitimise the entry of any scientific application into the social sphere. More...

Government responses to EU GM crop plans
13/07/2010
The European Commission adopted proposals on Tuesday allowing national governments to decide whether to ban or grow genetically modified (GM) crops, a bid to unblock paralysis in EU GM approvals. More...

The Race to Make Fuel Out of Algae Poses Risks as Well as Benefits
22/07/2010
One day, Big Algae may be competitive with Big Oil, but as researchers search for the ideal oil-producing algae strain to grow in commercial quantities, there are still a host of uncertainties standing in the way. More...

Brazilian farmers declare war on Monsanto
21/07/2010
Farmers from two separate Brazilian associations are preparing to file suit against biotechnology giant Monsanto, in a fight over the royalty fees the company demands for its genetically modified (GM) Roundup Ready soy. More...

European Commission - Official Documents on GMO Proposal
14/07/2010
Communication from the European Commission to the European Parliament, The Council, The Economic and Social Committee of the Regions - on the freedom for Member States to decide on the cultivation of genetically modified crops. Official text of the Recommendations included. More...

EU 'clears the way to fast-track GM crops'
14/07/2010
Brussels is planning to allow each member state to decide whether to grow GM foods or to ban them. The European Commission today published proposals that it said were designed to give countries more freedom and flexibility over the cultivation of genetically modified crops. More...

EU effort to end GM crop deadlock meets resistance
14/07/2010
BRUSSELS — The European Commission sought Tuesday to end a deadlock blocking the growth of genetically modified crops in Europe, proposing to give countries the freedom to ban the controversial foods. More...

EU seeks compromise on genetically modified crops
13/07/2010
The European Commission has proposed a compromise in the dispute over genetically modified crops. It wants to devolve power to national governments, but it seems to have upset both GM proponents and detractors alike. More...

EU to let states rule on GM crops
13/07/2010
EU officials plan to give the 27 member states the freedom to grow, restrict or ban genetically modified (GM) crops. More...

EU Aims to Give States Greater Freedom on GMOs
13/07/2010
BRUSSELS—European Union countries should have the power to restrict or ban cultivation of genetically modified crops, the European Commission proposed Tuesday, in an effort to speed up the biotech approval process and solve a long-standing controversy among countries. More...

Commission gambit could end GMO impasse
13/07/2010
In a potentially risky gamble to break an EU impasse over the cultivation of Genetically Modified Organisms which has lasted more than a decade, the European Commission will on Tuesday (13 July) propose a plan that both helps anti-GMO member states to ban them and lets those countries that favour the technology to move full-speed ahead with commercial planting. More...

FACTBOX - Details of EU proposals on GM crops
13/07/2010
REUTERS - The European Commission adopted proposals on Tuesday to allow member states to ban the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops, a bid to unblock paralysis in EU GM approvals. More...

GMOs Create Incredibly Toxic Colons
22/06/2010
Probiotic expert S.K. Dash calls the healthy bacteria in our guts our first line of immune defense, as these tiny bacteria protect us from all sorts of problems. More...

US Supreme Court Rules Farmers May Sue Over Harms Caused by GMOs
21/06/2010
Today, in its first ruling on genetically modified seeds, the US Supreme Court firmly established that farmers can seek injunctions or other forms of relief from federal courts when their crops are threatened with infection by these GMOs. More...

Luxembourg bans the Amflora potato
16/06/2010
Luxembourg's ban on the cultivation of the GM potato was announced barely a few months after its approval by the European Commission, before the high representatives of the authority in charge of food safety in Europe (EFSA). More...

Bulgaria Moves to Protect Children from GMO
16/06/2010
A ban of all genetically modified products and ingredients for preparation of children foods in Bulgaria has been proposed Wednesday in an amendment in the Bulgarian Food Act. More...

10,000 Peasants March against Monsanto in Haiti; Peasant Leader to Visit US
09/06/2010
Hinche, Haiti– An estimated 10,000 peasants gathered for a massive march in Central Haiti on June 4, 2010, to protest what has been described as “the next earthquake for Haiti” – a donation of 475 tons of hybrid corn seeds and vegetable seeds by the US-based agribusiness giant Monsanto, in partnership with USAID. While this move comes at a time of dire need in Haiti, many feel it will undermine rather than bolster the country’s food security. More...

FoE UK Press Release - Two thirds want GM to be kept off their plate - new opinion poll
16/06/2010
Two thirds of people in the UK want GM crops to be kept out of the food chain, a new survey reveals today (Tuesday, 15 June 2010). Friends of the Earth and GM Freeze are urging the Government and supermarkets to listen to public opinion and take action to protect our food and farming from GM. More...

Open letter to commisioner Dalli, commisioner Ciolos and commisioner Potocnik
15/06/2010
The European Coordination Via Campesina is dismayed at the proposal of the European Commission to restructure decision making processes between the EU and member states which will result in more GM crops being grown and used in Europe. More...

GMO crop takes over thousands of acres in Germany
09/06/2010
A genetically modified strain of maize classified as NK603 -- one that is explicitly banned in the European Union -- has been unleashed in Germany. The crop has been unwittingly planted on nearly 7,500 acres so far, and is continuing to spread. The source of the contamination has not yet been determined, but it is believed that it could cost farmers millions of euros to eradicate the tenacious GMO crop. More...

GM food – FSA Shown To Be Anything But Impartial
08/06/2010
Recently, there has been a major upheaval at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) with the resignation of two of its advisors. This happened in light of accusations that the FSA is about to waste £500,000 of tax payers’ money on what is essentially a propaganda exercise designed to promote the Genetically Modified (GM) food industry. More...

Banned GM maize sown in Germany
07/06/2010
A genetically modified (GM) variety of maize banned in the EU has been sown accidentally across Germany. The NK603 variety has been planted in seven states. The seed supplier, US firm Pioneer Hi-Bred, called the level of contamination "minute". More...

EU to overhaul GM crop system
04/06/2010
The European Union is to radically overhaul its approval system for genetically modified (GM) crops from next month, opening the way to large-scale GM cultivation in Europe, draft proposals seen by Reuters on Friday showed. More...

What happens if EU relaxes GMO rules?
04/06/2010
The EU executive European Commission has drawn up plans for a radical overhaul of the 27-nation bloc's rules on genetically modified (GM) crop cultivation, according to sources, which if approved could see huge growth in plantings in Europe. More...

European verdict forces Spain to give openness
31/05/2010
Spain is the only country in the European Union that produces genetically modified organisms (GMO) on a vast scale, 68% of GMO produced in the EU. So far the country had never published a list of terrains where these crops are grown experimentally. More...

French Wine to Be Modified Genetically
19/05/2010
The French Ministry of Agriculture announced on May 18 that it would authorize a genetically modified (GM) vineyard for experimentation. More...

Five Questions Monsanto Needs to Answer about its Seed Donation to Haiti
17/05/2010
Monsanto has donated $4 million in seeds to Haiti, sending 60 tons of conventional hybrid corn and vegetable seed, followed by 70 more tons of corn seed last week with an additional 345 tons of corn seed to come during the next year. Yet the number one recommendation of a recent report by Catholic Relief Services on post-earthquake Haiti is to focus on local seed fairs and not to introduce new or “improved” varieties at this time. More...

Dear Monsanto, Thank You for the Superweeds
18/05/2010
The road to hell is paved with unintended consequences. I'm convinced that, if we don't get our act together, this slight edit on the old adage about good intentions will be humanity's downfall. Oops, we didn't mean for BPA to do that! PCB and DDT are accumulating where? More...

Blockade of Monsanto's Bergschenhoek Location in The Netherlands
17/05/2010
Since 6 o'clock this morning, 50 persons of the action group 'Roundup Monsanto' are blocking both gates of the Monsanto seed company near Rotterdam More...

Environmental associations: lawsuit against Amflora in the European Court of Justice
11/05/2010
Several environmental associations state the intention to take legal action in the European Court of Justice against the cultivation approval for the genetically modified (GM) ‘Amflora’ potato. A decision is not expected before the end of 2011. However, it remains unclear whether the lawsuit will be acknowledged. More...

Planting false hopes with patented seeds
16/05/2010
Is it surprising corporations that sell genetically modified (GM) seeds are telling us they can save Africa with their patented seeds ("Biotech in Africa: High Hopes and High Stakes," May 9)? In the United States, one corporation, Monsanto, owns the genes of more than 90 percent of soybean and 80 percent of corn seeds. That monopoly power in the seed market is causing sources of non-GM seeds to dry up. Already, some Iowa farmers are having difficulty finding non-GM seeds. More...

GM crop use makes minor pests major problem
13/05/2010
Growing cotton that has been genetically modified to poison its main pest can lead to a boom in the numbers of other insects, a ten-year study in northern China has found. More...

Romanians want a ban on genetically modified organisms
13/05/2010
Cluj Napoca, 13th of May, 2010. According to a national opinion poll (Omnibus - IMAS) made in April, this year, 81,5% of Romanians want the Romanian authorities to ban genetically modified organisms and 74,1% don't want to consume genetically modified organisms. More...

EU Commission: First suggestions for a new gene technology policy
10/05/2010
In the future, EU Member States should be able to decide for themselves on the cultivation of genetically modified plants. By making changes to shared laws on gene technology, the EU Commission intends to overcome the political blockade that has been in place for years. More...

E.U. Signals Big Shift on Genetically Modified Crops
10/05/2010
Last week, the commission quietly let the deadline pass for opposing Portugal’s request, allowing Madeira, which is one of Portugal’s autonomous regions, to become the first E.U. territory to get formal permission from Brussels to remain entirely free of genetically modified organisms. More...

Monsanto Vs. Mother Nature
04/05/2010
The "superweeds" that are emerging on some U.S. farm fields threaten to strike at the heart of Monsanto's (MON) business. The company sells powerful herbicides under the Roundup brand, as well as seeds that have been genetically modified to withstand the herbicides. More...

Farmers Cope With Roundup-Resistant Weeds
03/05/2010
For 15 years, Eddie Anderson, a farmer, has been a strict adherent of no-till agriculture, an environmentally friendly technique that all but eliminates plowing to curb erosion and the harmful runoff of fertilizers and pesticides. More...

Commissioner slams green 'scaremongers' in GM debate
05/05/2010
Europe's biotech industry must engage with the public on controversial issues like genetically-modified foods and cloning, according to John Dalli, the EU's health commissioner. More...

The GM debate gathers momentum
04/05/2010
(Reuters) - Europe faces a major overhaul in the way it deals with genetically modified (GM) crops, after the European Commission sparked controversy with new plans to circumvent its cumbersome legislative review process. More...

Scientist warns of dire consequences with widespread use of glyphosate
05/05/2010
The December/January 2010 issue of The Organic & Non-GMO Report featured an interview with Robert Kremer, an adjunct professor in the Division of Plant Sciences at the University of Missouri, whose research showed negative environmental impacts caused by glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, which is used extensively with Roundup Ready genetically modified crops. More...

Lawsuit against the EU Committee in the GM-potato case
28/04/2010
The Hungarian government launched a lawsuit at the European Court of Justice because the European Commission has recently approved the cultivation of a genetically modified potato named Amflora announced Gogos Zoltan, Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture. More...

Food Companies Say No to Genetically Modified Potatoes
27/04/2010
Some of Germany's leading food companies have indicated that they won't be using genetically modified potatoes any time soon, according to a recent survey. Several fear use of the GM crops in their products could damage their public images. More...

Still wary of GM foods
29/04/2010
Tight EU rules and a broadly sceptical European public are making it difficult to cultivate genetically modified crops. But controlling the entire food chain is not easy. More...

Peru to Begin Labeling GM Foods
28/04/2010
A new Peruvian consumer code will require that food labels disclose both organic and genetically modified ingredients. At the same time, a system of technical and scientific evaluations is being set up to allow for entry of genetically modified or transgenic seeds into Latin America's fifth most populous country. More...

Meat claimed as invention by multinational company of Monsanto
28/04/2010
Multinational seed corporations are following a consequent strategy to gain control over basic resources for food production. As recent research shows not only genetically engineered plants, but more and more the conventional breeding of plants gets into the focus of patent monopolies: International patent applications in this sector are skyrocking, having doubled since 2007 till end of 2009. More...

COLOMBIA: The Failure of GM Cotton
27/04/2010
Genetically modified (GM) cotton from the American biotechnology company Monsanto has been a failure in Colombia, announced the organization Grupo Semillas. More...

Amflora potatoes planted in Germany
27/04/2010
On a 15-hectare field in Zepkow, Germany (county Mueritz in the state of Mecklenburg-Lower Pomerania), genetically modified (GM) Amflora potatoes were planted on 19.04.2010. Gene-technology opponents have called upon the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Ilse Aigner (CSU), to prohibit the cultivation of this potato in Germany. More...

Romanian Biosecurity Commission meeting delayed
22/04/2010
The Romanian Biosafety Commission meeting programmed to be held today, at 09:30 was delayed. The meeting was delayed due to the fact that there weren't enough members present. Today, the Commission members were scheduled to discuss the evaluation of 7 authorization requests for deliberate release into the environment for testing purpose of genetically modified maize varieties. More...

Decisions on new genetically modified organisms in Romania
22/04/2010
Today, 22 of April 2010, the Romanian Biosafety Commission meets to evaluate new genetically modified organisms (GMO). The members of the Commission will evaluate 7 GMO notifications which request authorization for deliberate release into the environment for testing purpose. The field trials proposed by the companies are extremely large, several reaching up to 10 000 m2/ field trial. More...

The Science of Wishful Thinking: ISAAA’s report on GM crops
20/04/2010
"The developing world embraces a controversial technology,"declared the title of a recent article in the Economist Magazine, referring to genetically modified (GM) crops. This is a rather shocking statement to attribute so matter-of-factly to the entire developing world. More...

Russia says genetically modified foods are harmful
20/04/2010
Russia has started the annual Days of Defence against Environmental Hazards from the 15th of April to the 5th of June with the announcement of sensational results of an independent work of research. Scientists have proved that Genetically Modified Organisms are harmful for mammals. More...

15,000 people demonstrate in Madrid "for a GMO-Free Food and Agriculture"
20/04/2010
Convened by environmental organizations, farmers and consumers, civil society has demonstrated its rejection of GM More...

What the approval of GM potato Amflora in Europe means to growers
20/04/2010
Last month the EU Commission approved a second GM crop for cultivation in the EU. Philip Case looks at what it means More...

Bayer admits GMO contamination out of control
15/04/2010
Drug and chemical giant Bayer AG has admitted that there is no way to stop the uncontrolled spread of its genetically modified crops. "Even the best practices can't guarantee perfection," said Mark Ferguson, the company's defense lawyer in a recent trial. More...

Farmers Who Plant Biotech Crops Grow Pesticide-Resistant Weeds
15/04/2010
Weeds are developing resistance to the herbicide that genetically engineered crops are designed to tolerate, finds the first major assessment of how biotech crops are affecting all U.S. farmers, released today by the National Research Council. More...

GE Crops Provide Short-Term Gain to U.S. Farmers But Long-Term Sustainability in Doubt, Says Report
14/04/2010
The National Research Council has just released a report that concludes that genetically engineered crops benefits many U.S. farmers. The report also contains a strong caveat that agricultural biotechnology needs proper management to be effective. Rather than a wholesale celebration of the success of the GE industry the researchers found that there are huge knowledge gaps and any opportunities to use the technology for greater public good are being missed. More...

Monsanto leads in genetically modified agriculture, trails in ethics
09/04/2010
It's not easy being Monsanto. At least, not this year. While remaining the undisputed colossus of food and agriculture -- think Microsoft with even less competition -- Monsanto reported that second quarter net income declined by nearly 19%. More...

Romania, land for profitable cultivation of genetically modified plants
02/04/2010
Romania became a battlefield in the war for genetically modified plants. The choice is made depending on interest. GM maize is already grown in Romania and other transgenic products are being imported. One of them is soy. And as money matters, no one spoke out about their possible effects on humans. More...

Romania: Minister of Agriculture: Maize doesn’t have any „sexually compatible relatives of other crops”
30/03/2010
Maize doesn’t have any „sexually compatible relatives of other crops or spontaneous vegetiation in Europe, so it doens’t have an impaxt on the deterioration of biodiversity, says a document of the Ministry of Agriculture, which denies some informations on GMO maize toxicity, informs Mediafax. More...

Organic vs 'genetic' farming
30/03/2010
Food sovereignty is a concept that values food producers rather than squeezing them off the land. The advice is to choose local fruits and vegetables in season. Improving self-sufficiency in vegetables could help counter climate change. Globally, the meat and dairy industry produces more emissions than global transport. Cutting back on eating meat and dairy products is a simple and direct way to reduce the world's carbon footprint. More...

Not just environmentalists against GM crops
26/03/2010
THE EUROPEAN Commission’s decision earlier this month to approve a genetically modified (GM) potato called Amflora bears all the hallmarks of being the thin end of what could be a very large wedge. That’s why it was greeted with such delight by German chemical company BASF, which patented the potato, and by the biotech lobby in general. More...

Retailers demand GM labelling
26/03/2010
While the debate rages on the science of genetically modified foods, retailers insist that GM food or products with GM ingredients be labelled to allow consumers a choice. More...

Genetically engineered corn causes new plant pest
26/03/2010
Large-scale cultivation of genetically engineered corn is causing the spread of a new pest in the US Corn Belt. The western bean cutworm infests the tips of the corncobs. Massive damage is being reported from those regions where the corn MON810 (sold as YieldGard by company of Monsanto) is grown on large scale. More...

EU and Argentina settle WTO case on Genetically Modified Organisms
19/03/2010
The European Union and Argentina have today signed in Buenos Aires a final settlement of the WTO dispute that Argentina brought against the EU in May 2003 regarding the application of its legislation on biotech products. The mutually agreed solution provides for the establishment of a regular dialogue on issues of mutual interest on biotechnology applied to agriculture. The EU and Argentina will notify this settlement to the WTO Dispute Settlement Body as a mutually agreed solution. A settlement of the WTO dispute that Canada brought against the EU regarding the same issue was already reached on 15 July 2009. More...

Resistant pests found in India
19/03/2010
Scientists working in the Indian state of Gujarat have discovered resistant pests in Bt cotton fields. Indian experts are now calling for more efficient measures to prevent or at least slow down a further spread of the resistance. So far, the only resistance to have emerged is resistance to the first generation of Bt cotton plants, which has been grown in India since 2002. Newer variants of Bt cotton have not yet been affected. More...

Bulgaria Puts Total Ban on GM Crops
18/03/2010
“Environmentalists need not worry, I'm completely satisfied, because the law was made more rigorous, strengthening and protecting our traditional production and biodiversity,” Toshev (R) concluded after the Parliament vote. More...

97% in favor of GMO ban in Bulgaria: poll
16/03/2010
Sofia. The National Center for the Study of Public Opinion has registered extremely high unanimity in respondents’ opposition to GMO distribution in Bulgaria. The opinion poll was conducted between March 5 and 12, 2010 at the request of MP Lachezar Toshev, the Center told FOCUS News Agency. More...

Mutant potato declined in Romania
12/03/2010
The Romanian authorities are reluctant to approve new genetically modified organisms authorized in the EU, arguing that it would not bring any economic benefits. In Romania, potato will not be processed for starch extraction and its cultivation for exports is also inefficient. More...

Attack of the killer... potatoes?
12/03/2010
The Commission’s decision to allow cultivation of genetically modified potatoes has stirred a hornet’s nest among environmentalists. Raphael Vassallo analyses various reactions to the rise of the so-called ‘Franken-foods’ in Europe More...

France blasts GM crop approvals by EU agency
06/03/2010
Europe's food safety agency has used partial evidence to approve genetically modified crops, including a GM potato developed by BASF, and should overhaul its methods, a French environment minister said. More...

Bt cotton has failed admits Monsanto
06/03/2010
The ongoing debate on biotechnology crops in India took a new turn on Friday when American seed firm Monsanto disclosed that cotton pest--pink bollworm--has developed resistance to its much-touted Bt cotton variety in Gujarat. More...

GM potatoes: BASF at work
06/03/2010
After a nod by the European Commission to cultivation of the controversial genetically modified (GM) potato developed by the BASF chemical company and known as Amflora, a speaker for the company has announced plans to apply for approval for two further varieties of GM potato. More...

Fury as EU approves GM potato
04/03/2010
The introduction of a genetically modified potato in Europe risks the development of human diseases that fail to respond to antibiotics, it was claimed last night. More...

Genetically Engineered Corn May Cause Food Allergies
04/03/2010
The biotech industry is fond of bragging about their genetically modified (GM) crops that “resist pests.” This conjures up images of insects staying away from GM fields. But resisting pests is a euphemism forcontains its own pesticide. When bugs take a bite of the GM plant, the toxin from the plant splits open their stomach and kills them. More...

GM Contamination at the FAO
04/03/2010
The FAO is “GM contaminated” due to its closeness with international seed companies, and that can be considered a “tragedy” for humanity. More...

Reactions against the GM potato from Romania
03/03/2010
The GMO Information Centre & the Ecological Club Transylvania from Romania. 3 March, 2010. Yesterday, the European Commission authorized for commercial growing a genetically modified potato, which contains an antibiotic resistant marker gene. The pulic was let down by EU's new Consumer Chief through this unprecedented decision. The EU hasn't authorized for cultivation, any new GMO in the last 12 years. More...

The file of the GM potato Amflora
03/03/2010
Description of the authorization process of the 2 files of the genetically modified potato Amflora (EH92-527-1). The process was initiated in Sweden in 2003. Yesterday, the European Commission in Brussels approved the cultivation and industrial processing, the genetically modified potato, which involves a health and environmental risks. More...

The European Commission aproves 5 decisions on new GMOs
02/03/2010
Under the current legal framework, as decided by the Council and the European Parliament, the Commission adopted today two decisions concerning the Genetically Modified Amflora potato: the first authorises the cultivation of Amflora in the EU for industrial use, and the second relates to the use of Amflora's starch by-products as feed. The European Commission also adopted today three decisions on the placing on the market of three GM maize products for food and feed uses but not for cultivation. More...

UPDATE-EU clears 5 GMO crops, eyes proposal on cultivation
02/03/2010
EU clears Amflora potato for cultivation * Approves 3 Monsanto maize types for food, feed * Says may propose allowing states to decide on cultivation * Environmental groups condemn approval More...

EU approves modified maize, potato
02/03/2010
ASSOCIATED PRESS: The EU on Tuesday approved the cultivation of a genetically modified potato and the use of three types of altered maize in food and feed production, saying they don't pose a health risk. More...

EU clears BASF's GM Amflora potato for cultivation
02/03/2010
BRUSSELS, March 2 (Reuters) - The European Commission approved on Tuesday a genetically modified potato, Amflora, for commercial cultivation in the European Union, a spokesman said, marking the bloc's first GM cultivation approval in 12 years. More...

The Romanian Culita Tarana - the King of the mutant maize
02/03/2010
The Romanian agrobussiness man Culita Tarata cultivated 1,000 hectares of GM last year in the Big Island of Braila. Braila, Calarasi, Arad, Teleorman and Giurgiu are the top areas that grow genetically modified maize in Romania. More...

Ukraine: Health Ministry draws up list of products to be checked for GMO content
01/03/2010
The Ukrainian Health Ministry has drawn up a list of foodstuffs that are to be checked for genetically modified organism (GMO) content, the press service of the Ukrainian Economy Ministry has reported. More...

More US weeds found resisting Monsanto Roundup
01/03/2010
Scientists said on Friday they have confirmed expanding weed resistance to a key ingredient in Monsanto's (MON.N)widely used Roundup herbicide, a troubling development for farmers and fresh fodder for Monsanto critics. More...

International pressure on GM
01/03/2010
BRAZILIAN farmers are reported to be preparing court challenges over the high cost of Monsanto's patent fee for genetically modified crops and its deduction of royalties where GM crops are grown intentionally or unintentionally. More...

Italy against GM crops
01/03/2010
After the ruling of administrative Court, the Ministry Zaia said: "we will respect the sentences but will use any tool available to safeguard farmers and consumers" More...

Romanian Court decides that seeds for cultivation may not be contaminated with GMOs
24/02/2010
Romania. Appeals Court Cluj decided that two Decrees issued by the Romanian Minister for Agriculture in 2009 are illegal and disposed their annulment. The Decrees were authorizing the contamination of all coventional seeds with GMOs up to 0,3 - 0,5% without being labelled. More...

New report: GM crops failing to tackle climate change
24/02/2010
Friends of the Earth Europe Press Release - 23 February 2010 - New report: GM crops failing to tackle climate change More...

Animals fed with corn banned in Europe
24/02/2010
50 hectares of arable land were cultivated with genetically modified maize in 2009 by three farmers in the county. Also called Bt (MON 810), this type of corn is prohibited in the European Union from this year because of its health issues. More...

GM crop cultivation in EU down 12 pct in 2009
24/02/2010
The cultivation of genetically modified crops in the European Union fell 12 percent last year, due partly to Germany's decision to ban the growing of GM maize, an industry-sponsored report said on Tuesday. More...

Switzerland: Three more years of GM ban
19/02/2010
The moratorium for genetically modified animals and plants that has been in force in Switzerland since 2005 is to be extended for a further three years. First of all, the results are expected of a national research programme on the uses and risks of genetically modified plants. More...

Norway says ‘no’ to genetically modified seeds
19/02/2010
When agriculture is Norway’s second biggest national industry and provides for half of the Norwegian people’s needs, it’s no wonder that he sees eye to eye with India on the need to take care of his country’s farmers in the face of challenges from the World Trade Organisation. More...

Romanian Ministry for Agriculture: „The GM maize MON810 has no adverse effects”
17/02/2010
Regarding the information which has appeared in the media on the toxicity of genetically modified maize MON 810, authorized for import, cultivation and consumption in the EU, madre wants to make the following clarification: [...] "There is new information that would lead to reconsidering the earlier views on the three transformation events MON 810, MON863 and NK603, which conclude that there are no adverse effects on health, human, animals and the environment." More...

GMOs in Barroso’s basket
17/02/2010
The newly-appointed European Commission has just started getting down to business and is already re-opening the debate over genetically modified organisms, which remains a bone of enduring contention between member states, pressure groups and Brussels. More...

Romania: Agent Green asks MON810 maize to be banned
16/02/2010
Agent Green asks Environment Minister Borbely Laszlo to protect the health of the people and the environment, and have the imports and the growth of the genetically modified maize MON810 banned. More...

In Romania 44,000 tons of GM maize have been consumed in the past in 3 years
12/02/2010
Romanian farmers who cultivated genetically modified maize in the years 2007-2009 obtained a total harvest of about 44,000 tonnes, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and the State Environment Agency. More...

Poland: Government GM project under fire
09/02/2010
Activists from the “Poland Free from GMO” coalition believe that the government’s proposed bill on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is against the constitution. More...

India: Monsanto 'faked' data for approvals claims its ex-chief
09/02/2010
The debate on genetically modified (GM) brinjal variety continues to generate heat. Former managing director of Monsanto India, Tiruvadi Jagadisan, is the latest to join the critics of Bt brinjal, perhaps the first industry insider to do so. More...

Prime Minister Borisov: 5-Year GM Crop Ban Ensures Calmness in Bulgaria
08/02/2010
Bulgaria PM Boyko Borisov has stated that the proposed 5-year ban on GM crop trials will “guarantee calmness” in Bulgarian society. More...

India: Ten state governments say no to Bt brinjal
08/02/2010
Ten state governments have decided not to wait for the end of the controversy over whether genetically modified (GM) brinjal, popularly termed Bt brinjal, should be approved or not. They have decided not to allow it in their states anyway. More...

Rise in GM crops raises ethical alarms in Brazil
08/02/2010
An ethics watchdog in Brazil has expressed alarm at the rise in the use of genetically modified (GM) crops in the country. The Alternative Agriculture Support Service (AS-PTA) has linked the rise in GM crop cultivation to the growing influence of multinational agribusiness. More...

Australians 'uncomfortable' with GM foods: survey
08/02/2010
AUSTRALIANS remain very uncomfortable about eating genetically manipulated (GM) foods despite government and GM industry claims of growing acceptance. More...

Monsanto targets resistant weeds with new herbicide
03/02/2010
Monsanto got the stamp of approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week to bring a new soybean and cotton post-emergence herbicide to market. More...

Bulgaria PM Comes Out in Support of Anti GMO Protesters
02/02/2010
Bulgaria PM Boyko Borisov stated “I guarantee, that we won’t have GMOs” in reaction to the recent GMO protests in the country. Borisov explained that the changes to the Law on Genetically Modified Organisms, is Bulgaria’s obligation to the European Commission and the European Union, and added that he and his government are opposed to GMOs. More...

How Bulgaria will harmonise GMO law with EU legislation?
02/02/2010
On 13 January Bulgarian parliament voted at the first hearing for amendments in GMO Law [1]. More then 500 people – informal organizations of mothers, environmental NGOs, farmers and consumers’ organizations and citizens – protested in the front of the Parliament and showed their strong resistance to GMO. More...

Russia to tighten labeling requirements for GMO food products
02/02/2010
Russian food producers will be required to label their products with "This product contains GMOs" inscription, according to Russian media reports. Such proposal has recently been introduced by some members of the Russian Parliament. More...

Ukraine: Cabinet Wants Rada To Cancel 'GMO Free' Marking
02/02/2010
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine wants the Verkhovna Rada to cancel marking of foodstuffs not containing genetically modified organisms with a label "GMO Free." Economy Minister Bohdan Danylyshyn announced this to the press. According to the minister, the Cabinet of Ministers has endorsed a draft law drawn up by the Economy Ministry. He said the draft law concerns foodstuff that cannot contain genetically modified organisms even theoretically, including food not containing albumen. More...

Bulgaria: Non-governmental organizations against GMOs
02/02/2010
Sofia. Several non-governmental organizations has staged a protest rally in the capital city Sofia against the amendments to the Genetically Modified Organisms Act. The main demands of the environmentalists are the buffer zone between the territories where those cultures are grown and the protected under Natura 2000 to be increased to avoid the influence of the GMO over biodiversity. More...

First discussions about the GMO issue with the new Romanian Minister of Agriculture
29/01/2010
Yesterday, representatives of 3 non-governmental associations had a meeting with the new Romanian Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Mihail Dumitru, to discuss the issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). During the meeting which lasted for an hour, the GMO Information Centre - InfOMG, Agent Green and the Ecological Club Transylvania presented to the Romanian Minister of Agriculture a series of arguments on the risks and negative effects generated by the GMO cultivation. More...

BIODIVERSITY: EU Farmers Face Genetic Contamination of Seeds
29/01/2010
Biodiversity, already decaying fast as a result of climate change and intensive farming, is under further threat by genetic modification (GM) of seeds, says a leading German ecological activist. More...

Zimbabwe: Govt Sticks to Guns Against GMO Imports
29/01/2010
Harare — ZIMBABWEAN millers should support local agriculture instead of clamouring for the State to allow them to import genetically modified grain, a Government official has said. More...

Judge asked to halt planting of genetically modified sugarbeet seeds in Oregon
25/01/2010
A group of activists that includes organic seed farmers in Oregon's Willamette Valley asked a federal judge Wednesday to bar planting of genetically engineered sugarbeets and sugarbeet seeds this spring, saying the plants could contaminate organic crops. More...

Bt brinjal: Spread of contamination feared
25/01/2010
Jairam Ramesh’s consultation on Bt brinjal here, the recent comments on the recommendations of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) have invited sharp reactions from scientists, farmers and activists here. More...

U.S.A. - GM wheat is on its way
25/01/2010
Five years after scrapping its trials, Monsanto calculates that the time is now ripe for GM wheat to make a comeback More...

Turkey to Ban GMO Import below EU Standards
21/01/2010
Turkey's Agriculture and Rural Affairs Ministry said Wednesday it would ban the import of those genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that do not meet European Union (EU) standards, Turkish media reported. Changes were made to a regulation on GMOs, which Turkey adopted in October 2009, to clear previous public confusion regarding the import of GMOs, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported. More...

Monsanto holds 90% market share of Bt cotton seeds
21/01/2010
Monsanto, the US based seed manufacturer will reap roughly around Rs 3.4 billion from licensing exclusively owned rights of Bollgard (BG) gene traits to Bt cotton hybrid seed manufacturing companies in India in the current fiscal year (2009-10). More...

Groups want to stop Roundup Ready sugar beets
21/01/2010
Lawyers for organic seed growers and food safety advocates want a judge to stop farmers from planting sugar beet seed this spring that has been genetically altered to resist an herbicide made by Monsanto. More...

India - Monsanto to earn Rs 340 cr tech fee for Bt cotton
20/01/2010
Monsanto will gross roughly Rs 340 crore from licensing its proprietary Bollgard (BG) gene traits to Bt cotton hybrid seed firms in India this fiscal. In the recent 2009 planting season, 270-275 lakh packets of Bt cotton seeds were sold across the country. Of this, 250 lakh incorporated Monsanto's BG-I or the second-generation BG-II gene constructs. More...

India - Orissa scientists want more studies on BT Brinjal
20/01/2010
Scientists in Orissa Saturday overwhelmingly demanded extensive studies before BT Brinjal is introduced in the state. Participating in a consultation organised by the union environment ministry in Bhubaneswar, the scientific community said it wanted a thorough study. More...

Italy is 'weak point' of EU's anti-GM defences
20/01/2010
Italy is the Achilles heel of the campaign to maintain Europe's defences against genetically modified crops, a US report has said, adding that the region's consumers are not as opposed to the technology as is portrayed. More...

Turkish Parliament Commission adopts biosecurity draft
19/01/2010
The Turkish Parliamentary Commission for Health, Family, Labor and Social Affairs has adopted a law draft on biosecurity that includes arrangements for genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. More...

Head of department moves from European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to biotech company within two months
15/01/2010
Authorities react only after Testbiotech disclosures. The former head of the GMO-panel at the European Food Safety Authority EFSA, Suzy Renckens, has moved directly into the genetic engineering industry without any objections or restrictions being imposed by the authority. This was revealed in documents sent by the EFSA upon request to the group of experts at Testbiotech, Germany. More...

Bulgaria Parliament Eases Laws on GM Crop Cultivation
14/01/2010
The Bulgarian Parliament has approved amendments to the law on Genetically Modified Organisms at the first reading on Wednesday. The amendments have caused outrage amongst local environmental NGOs who argued that harmonization with the EU is necessary, but it should not be at the expense of Bulgarian nature and farmers. More...

Monsanto GMO Ignites Big Seed War
13/01/2010
More than 9 out of 10 soybean seeds carry the Roundup Ready trait. It's about the same for cotton and just a little lower for corn. "Farmers will not buy soybeans without Roundup Ready in it. So, that gives Monsanto an amazing amount of leverage," says Jim Denvir, a lawyer working for DuPont. DuPont owns Pioneer, a competing seed company. Pioneer licenses the Roundup Ready trait from Monsanto, as do about 150 other seed companies. Those agreements control which other genetics competing companies can mix with the Roundup Ready trait. Last year, Monsanto sued to stop Pioneer from "stacking" Roundup Ready with another trait. Denvir says Pioneer complained to the Justice Department. More...

Monsanto close to taking over world food supply
12/01/2010
According to a recent Associated Press investigation, agri-giant Monsanto regularly employs business practices that not only aim to eliminate all competition, but essentially position the company as the sole proprietor of all things related to food. More...

Scientist finding many negative impacts of Roundup Ready GM crops
11/01/2010
Robert Kremer is a microbiologist with the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and an adjunct professor in the Division of Plant Sciences at the University of Missouri. He is co-author of one of five papers published in the October 2009 issue of The European Journal of Agronomy that found negative impacts of Roundup herbicide, which is used extensively with Roundup Ready genetically modified crops. Kremer has been studying the impacts of glyphosate, the primary ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, since 1997. More...

A LANDMARK RULING NZ Commerce Commission: animals fed on GM components ARE different
11/01/2010
In a landmark ruling, the NZ Commerce Commission has accepted evidence from Prof Jack Heinemann, from an exhaustive review of the literature and on the basis of his own extensive professional experience, that animals fed on GM components ARE different from those which are reared using non-GM feed. More...

Poland divided over GM crops
08/01/2010
Despite NGOs protesting legislation possible liberalising the use of GMO crops in Poland, a majority of farmers want access to genetically modified grain. More...

Britain must launch GM food revolution, says chief scientist
06/01/2010
Britain must embrace genetically modified crops and cutting-edge developments such as nanotechnology to avoid catastrophic food shortages and future climate change, the government's chief scientist will warn today. More...

Turkey: GMO regulations back in effect
26/12/2009
The Council of State Administrative Trials Board has accepted an appeal by the Ministry of Agriculture against a decision by another branch of the Council of State blocking the implementation of regulations concerning the production, import and trade of genetically modified organisms (GMO). More...

French body says Monsanto maize needs more study
22/12/2009
PARIS, Dec 22 (Reuters) - More research is needed into Monsanto's (MON.N) genetically modified maize MON 810, the only biotech crop commercially grown in Europe, to assess its environmental impact, a French advisory body said. The opinion given by biotech committee HCB, published on Tuesday, was requested by the French government, which last year banned cultivation of MON 810 citing environmental concerns. More...

Ukraine: Parliament introduces mandatory labeling of GMO food products
17/12/2009
The Verkhovna Rada has introduced a mandatory labeling of foodstuffs containing genetically modified organisms (GMO). A total of 375 out of 450 MPs have voted in favor of the law on foodstuffs safety and quality (regarding reporting to citizens about GMO food products). More...

NEW website for GMO Information in Romania
10/12/2009
Cluj Napoca/ Romania – December 10, 2009. The Genetically Modified Organisms Information Centre in Romania – InfOMG – has launched a new website for the information of the Romanian and European public regarding the situation of genetically modified organisms (GMO). More...

CE: the Romanian Dacian Ciolos designated for the portfolio of Agriculture
27/11/2009
José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, today announced the portfolios responsibilities for the next Commission. Romania`s Dacian Ciolos was designated for the portofolio of Agriculture and Rural Development. More...

Bucharest – Workshop on GMO risk assessment
18/11/2009
On 17th of November, 2009 a training workshop took place in Bucharest on Genetically Modified Risk Assessment. More...

Mont Blanc conference
12/11/2009
On 9-10 November in Chamonix (France) took place the Mont Blanc conference, having as main theme „Feeding the planet and the role of social economy.” More...

Percy Schmeiser warns Romania about GMO contamination
21/10/2009
Today, at a press confernce held in Bucharest, Percy Schmeiser warns the romanian public about the threats that GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) represent for environment, agriculture, farmers and consumers. More...

The Romanian Government holds locations of GMO crops secret
23/09/2009
Agent Green has submited two legal proceedings at the Bucharest Court of Appeal against Ministry of Agriculture and the National Agency for Environmental Protection (ANPM) because the institutions refuse to publish the locations where cultivation of GM (genetically modified) maize MON810 takes place. More...