Archived News

June 2002

'Modest' Amount of GM Material Found in Nearby Crops - Study
27 June 2002 Anova
Genes from GM crops are able to spread to other fields but have only a modest effect, according to an Australian study.

Poll Result Confirms Acceptance Of GM
27 June 2002 Life Sciences Network
"Maybe anti-GM campaigners will now acknowledge they are in the minority," Dr William Rolleston said in commenting on the latest opinion poll which shows two-thirds of those polled supported commercial release of GM under carefully controlled conditions.

World Food Summit Statements
27 June 2002 Monsanto.co.uk
Read statements from "The World Food Summit: five years later" held in Rome, 10-13 June 2002.

Biotechnology Can Improve Quality of Food For Both Developed and Developing World, Monsanto Executive Says
27 June 2002 Monsanto Co.
Plant biotechnology is an important tool to help address nutrition needs in the developing world, as well as chronic lifestyle- and diet-related diseases in the developed world, Monsanto's chief scientist said.

Local Farmers Urged To Adopt Biotechnology
26 June 2002 Asia Intelligence Wire
Local farmers should be more pragmatic and adopt biotechnology since it promises not only higher crop yields but also reduced post-harvest losses, a biotechnology expert said.

Biotech Exporters Need Patience
24 June 2002 Guelph Mercury
For the most part North Americans have accepted biotechnology and are considered a hub for this new science. Europe's been less enthusiastic -- and that will only change if consumers are fed balanced information instead of propaganda.

Bt-Cotton Eco-Friendly - Study
24 June 2002 Business Standard
The controversy over the Greenpeace report on the environmental impact of transgenic Bt-cotton in China took a new turn with some officials of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) maintaining that the insect-resistant cotton actually benefited the environment.

GM Tomato May Give Protection Against Cancer
24 June 2002 Scotsman
Government scientists in the United States have created a genetically modified tomato that destroys dangerous cancer triggers.

EU Must Broaden Biotech Debate
24 June 2002 Life Sciences Network
"One of our main problems in Europe is that we do not have a single policy for life sciences and biotechnology, Christian Siebert, European Commission Deputy Head of Unit Enterprise Directorate-General, told the recent BIO 2002 conference.

Finnie 'Will Flout' GM Law
23 June 2002 Sunday Herald
European Directive 2001/18/ EC is meant to bring in an "improved framework" for the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms by October 18. It will determine how all future GM crops will be decided, and has been broadly welcomed by environmentalists.

China Greenpeace GMO Report Wrong, Biased - Scientists
23 June 2002 Dow Jones
Two Chinese researchers say a Greenpeace China report alleging environmental damage caused by genetically-modified Bt cotton strains introduced by US agribusiness company Monsanto (MON) is incorrect and biased.

Statement On Crop Biotechnology
21 June 2002 The American College of Nutrition
The American College of Nutrition recognizes the potential of biotechnology to improve the size and reliability of crop yields and encourages its use to develop crops that benefit countries of the developing world.

GM Food: Good For The Earth And Our future
20 June 2002 Monsanto.co.uk
Slowly but surely the health and environment benefits of GM crops are becoming obvious, according to the National Post.

Genetic Engineering - Farmers, Consumers "Miss Benefit"
20 June 2002 Bangkok Post
US-based geneticist Channaptna Prakash was cited as telling a briefing on GE technology held by the US embassy that opponents of genetically engineered technology are denying benefits to farmers and consumers.

Biotech Helps Protect US Food Crops From Pests
19 June 2002 National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy
Biotechnology is helping control diseases and pests that take a bite out of US -grown crops, resulting in more food production at lower costs and with less reliance upon pesticides, according to a comprehensive study released here at BIO 2002.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - Fifth Report
19 June 2002 Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee
The Committee calls for greater transparency and responsibility on GM crops, a wider public debate supported by the Government and the need for independent science to underpin the farmscale evaluations.

New Study Demonstrates Role of Plant Biotechnology in Pesticide Reduction
18 June 2002 Monsanto Co.
A new study released by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP) shows that crops enhanced through plant biotechnology have resulted in a significant reduction in the use of pesticides on American farms.

Vaccine In Food
17 June 2002 Life Sciences Network
Australian scientists have genetically engineered lettuce and rice to contain an edible measles vaccine.

Genetically Modified Pasture
17 June 2002 Life Sciences Network
Genetically Modified pasture could be commercially available within two years in Australia.

Environmental Impact Of Ag Biotech
17 June 2002 Life Sciences Network
An issue paper entitled "The Environmental Impact of Agricultural Biotechnology" was released by the Agricultural Biotechnology In Europe (ABE).

Rich Pickings For Farmer Charles
16 June 2002 The Sunday Mirror
Prince Charles's speech in Germany in which he attacked experiments with genetically-modified crops as an "acute threat" to organic farmers sounded safe enough. But wait, all is not as it seems.

Comments On The Greenpeace Publication Claiming Adverse Environmental Impacts Of Bt Cotton In China
16 June 2002 Greenspirit
Patrick Moore's response to the Greenpeace report on Bt Cotton in China.

Anti-GMO Groups Losing European Stronghold
16 June 2002 The Philippine Star
The traditional bulwark of anti-genetically modified organism (GMO) advocates appear to be slipping as Europe opened its doors to a major biotechnology research in the United Kingdom (UK).

Extended GE Ban `Could Do More Harm Than Good'
14 June 2002 Asia Intelligence Wire
The Greens could do more environmental harm than good by pushing for an extended moratorium on genetic engineering, a visiting GE researcher has warned.

Japan To Form Council To Promote Biotechnology In July
12 June 2002 Biotenz
The Japanese minister in charge of science and technology policy, Koji Omi, has said he hopes to hold the first meeting of a planned strategic council on biotechnology early next month.

Farmers Reap Rewards Of GM Crops U.S. Study Shows Bioengineering Brings Greater Yield, Lower Costs
11 June 2002 The Globe And Mail
Bioengineered crops have major benefits, both actual and potential, to farmers in the United States, according to a new study.

Study: Biotech Aids Farmers
10 June 2002 United Press International
Genetically modified crops have increased yields, lowered farmers' production costs and prevented the use of millions of pounds of pesticides and herbicides, a study released Monday concludes.

GM Debate
08 June 2002 The Guardian
The agricultural biotechnology industry is not against a public debate (Fields of ire, G2, January 7). The industry council was specifically created to encourage debate about the potential production of GM crops in the UK.

Biotech Benefits For The Food Industry- Now And In The Future
08 June 2002 Grocery Headquarters
As scientists continue to make technological breakthroughs, we will soon see revolutionary products on retail shelves, including a healthier mix of foods that may also combat diseases.

Nature Biotechnology: Environmental Impact Of GM Crops
07 June 2002 International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications
"We can find no compelling scientific arguments to demonstrate that GM crops are innately different from non-GM crops", say scientists led by Philip Dale of the John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK.

Greenpeace Founder Dismisses Activist Scare Tactics About Biotechnology, Encourages Scientific Discussion
07 June 2002 Agbioview
The media is invited to meet Dr. Patrick Moore, at the BIO 2002 Media Brunch. A leader of the international environmental movement for more than 30 years, Dr. Moore was a founding member of Greenpeace.

India Adopts Biotech Cotton
07 June 2002 BusinessWorld
Global agricultural research leader Monsanto recently announced the approval by the government of India of the commercial cultivation and distribution of a biotechnology-processed cotton variety, a major step in the subcontinent's bid for agricultural productivity.

Row Erupts In China Over Impact Of Transgenic Cotton
04 June 2002 Dow Jones
A Chinese government-funded report that alleges genetically modified Bt cotton strains introduced by U.S. agribusiness giant Monsanto have damaged the environment and provide few long-term agricultural benefits has provoked protest within China's scientific community.

Pontifical Academy of Sciences Report on Biotech
Crops
03 June 2002 Pontifical Academy of Sciences
A report, "Science and the Future of Mankind" is now available from the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. The report concludes: "The developments we have discussed here constitute an important part of human innovation, and they clearly offer substantial benefits for the improvement of the human condition worldwide."

Statement On Crop Biotechnology
03 June 2002 American College of Nutrition (ACN)
The American College of Nutrition is committed to the worldwide availability of a safe, adequate and nutritious food supply. Substantial valid scientific evidence exists establishing the safety of crops developed via biotechnology.

Survey: Americans Trust The Science Behind Bioengineered Foods
03 June 2002 Purdue News
The ongoing debate over the safety and environmental impact of genetically modified foods is complex and multifaceted, but new research shows that American consumers are able to separate the wheat from the chaff when presented with science-based information.

Plant Biotechnology: Current and Potential Impact For Improving Pest Management In U.S. Agriculture: An Analysis of 40 Case Studies
02 June 2002 National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy
A significant new report from the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, a Washington, DC based research group, quantifies some of the benefits of biotech crops.

Dramatically Modified Truth
01 June 2002 The Daily Telegraph
Fields of Gold, due to be broadcast on BBC next weekend, is an exercise in paranoia. It depicts a scientist creating GM wheat with a food blender in his bedroom, to which he adds a gene resistant to the antibiotic Vancomycin, which just happens to turn up in hospital waste. During trials, this gene somehow infects bacteria, creating an antibiotic-resistant superbug that kills foxes, birds and old people. Spread by harvest dust, it threatens all humanity.