Archived News

2000

American Medical Association, Council On Scientific Affairs (I-00): Genetically Modified Crops And Foods Summary
18 December 2000 American Medical Association
Read the AMA's review of transgenic crops and genetically modified foods, including the current regulatory framework, possible human health effects, potential environmental impacts, and other consumer-related issues.

American Seed Trade Association: European Perception Of Biotech Foods Skewed By 15 Years Of Food And Medical Technology Scares
15 December 2000 American Seed Trade Association
Pierre Deloffre, general manager of Bonduelle, a French fruit and vegetable product manufacturer, discussed what he called "a confused and irrational story" about biotech foods in Europe at the American Seed Trade Association's (ASTA's) Corn & Sorghum Seed Research Conference in Chicago on Dec. 8.

Threat That Never Was
14 December 2000 The Knowledge Centre
When a 1999 laboratory study suggested that monarchs could be killed by a common form of genetically modified maize, it attracted a furious reaction from environmentalists and the public. Now, it turns out, the panic was unjustified. The episode serves as a warning for those wading into controversial areas, where quick answers appear to be prized above accuracy.

GM Food Debate Gets Spicy
11 December 2000 The Scientist
Several points in Kate Devine’s article, “GM Food Debate Gets Spicy,” deserves amplification. The first pertains to the widespread recall of foods containing “StarLink” corn. The bottom line is that not a single person is at all likely to be harmed by this product, which differs from other commercial varieties by the presence of a Bacillus thuringiensis protein called Cry9C.

Biotech's Glories
10 December 2000 The Richmond Times Dispatch
To the anti-technologists who probably would consider Louis Pasteur a dangerous madman if he were around today, few menaces loom larger than biotechnology. To the starving and malnourished souls in the Third World, few promises offer so much hope.

Only One Side Of The Risk Equation
08 December 2000 Center for International Development at Harvard University (CID)
The precautionary principle is increasingly being invoked as an approach that governments should embrace to deal with risks, especially environmental and health risks arising from new technology or new products. However, the precautionary principle biases the process of "decision-making under uncertainty" against the new. It is arbitrary, does not compare risks, and addresses only the risk of innovation, not the risk of stagnation.

Anti-Science Activists Entertain But Don't Enlighten
08 December 2000 Hudson Institute
India's Vandana Shiva, one of the world's most prominent opponents of genetically engineered crops, recently took part in a demonstration against Rice-Tec, a plant-breeding company in Alvin, Texas. Looking out at Rice-Tec's experimental field, Ms. Shiva said, "The plants look unhappy. The rice plants at home look very happy." A Rice-Tec representative replied, "We harvested the rice in August. Those are weeds."

A Biotech Crop Risk Is Downgraded
07 December 2000 St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Genetically engineered crops pose little risk to monarch butterflies and may even benefit the insects, scientists were cited as saying Wednesday.

We Need Biotech To Feed The World
06 December 2000 Texas A&M University
Science is under attack in affluent nations, where antibiotech activists claim consumers are being poisoned by inorganic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides. They also claim that newer genetic engineering technologies decrease biodiversity and degrade the environment. Neither claim is true, but fear-mongering could be disastrous for less-developed nations.

Texas A&M Biologists Are Developing Genetically Modified Rice Resistant To Insects And Microbes
06 December 2000 Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University biologists are developing genetically modified rice resistant to insects and microbes, which could revolutionize the food and agriculture industries and help alleviate hunger in developing countries.

Borlaug Urges Scientists To Speak Out For Biotechnology -- Or Else
01 December 2000 American Council on Science and Health
At a recent gathering in his honor, 1970 Nobel Peace prizewinner Norman Borlaug, Ph.D., said, "Scientists must develop a thick skin and speak out for science, especially biotechnology." The famed father of the Green Revolution is worried that biotechnology, which he sees as transforming the way we feed ourselves and protect the natural environment, may be nipped in the bud if the scientific community doesn't rise to its vigorous public defense.

Golden Grains Of Hope
30 November 2000 The Knowledge Centre
1 million to 2 million children die every year because their diet lacks enough of a single nutrient, vitamin A. Since the Many of these children eat a diet based on rice, researchers figured out a way to manipulate the genes of rice so that it naturally produced more vitamin A, many of these children would live.

Monsanto Genetically Engineers Potato That Resists Common Fungus
28 November 2000 St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Scientists at Monsanto Co. have genetically engineered a potato to resist a common fungal disease. The feat marks the first time researchers have been able to make fungus-defying potatoes by inserting a single gene. Other attempts produced potatoes that withstood fungal diseases in the laboratory, but not in the field.

AS Biotech Crops Safe
27 November 2000 Washington State University
International controversy over genetically modified crops threatens future advancements in biotechnology said Washington State University plant pathologist R. James Cook. Cook, who has been studying wheat and barley root diseases for 35 years, said developments, such as new methods of preventing a root disease of barley, hang in the balance.

Pest Resistance To Genetically Modified Cotton Not Seen
21 November 2000 UniSci
Results of a new study published in today's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences may diminish fears about one of the potential pitfalls of genetically modified crops. Bt cotton has a gene transferred from the bacterium Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) that lets plants produce a natural insecticide, thus reducing reliance on sprays of chemical insecticides.

Speech By The UK Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, At The European Bioscience Conference
20 November 2000 10 Downing Street
"This is to continue the series of speeches about the choices I believe Britain faces if it wants future prosperity for all. One such choice is investment in our future productive base. The vital part of such investment is science. Biotechnology is science's new frontier."

Blair Warns Against Anti-science Attitude
20 November 2000 The Knowledge Centre
Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned GM food protestors, including the Prince of Wales, against an anti-science agenda. During a speech made at the European Bioscience Conference in London, Blair attacked "anti-science attitudes" and warned that the Government would not allow blackmail and physical assault to stand in the way of research. He also warned the public of the dangers of slipping into "anti-science" attitudes which could deprive Britain of the benefits of cutting-edge research and technology.

Britain’s Anti-Biotech Food Lobby Loses Some Bite
14 November 2000 Bridge News
Those campaigning in Britain against genetically engineered food could be forgiven for expecting the American Starlink corn episode to further their cause. The incident, however, seems to have been of limited value to them. British activists have not been falling over one another to preach their gospel that any food containing imported American corn is a health hazard. Or that this “escape” was proof positive that, once this biotech genie was out of the bottle, it was uncontrollable.

No Health Risk From Unauthorised Gm Ingredients In Tortilla Chips - Investigation Continues
14 November 2000 University of Guelph , Department of Plant Agriculture
The Food Standards Agency announced today that the levels of GM contamination alleged by Friends of the Earth to be present in tortilla chips are far too low to pose a danger to human health. The FSA made its announcement after receiving advice from its independent advisory committee, the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP).

Meat, Milk And Eggs Are Safe From Livestock And Poultry Fed Biotech Crops, U.S. Scientists Say
14 November 2000 Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS)
Are the meat, milk and eggs from livestock and poultry fed genetically modified or biotech feeds, safe to eat? Yes, says the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS), a federation comprising over 10,000 animal, dairy and poultry scientists. FASS scientists have reviewed all of the data available worldwide from research studies in which results have been published in refereed, peer-reviewed journal articles. These research results conclusively indicate that there is no effect of feeding biotech crops to livestock and poultry on the nutritional value or safety of meat, milk and eggs.

Poor Nations Can't Afford Debate On Gene-Altered Crops
13 November 2000 Christian Science Monitor
Recent world conferences on agricultural biotechnology have made it unmistakably clear that if governments foil the growth of this technology, mankind will be denied solutions to a host of problems that plague many nations, particularly in the developing world.

Address By David Byrne On The Precautionary Principle In The Domain Of Human Health And Food Safety At The Economist Conferences
09 November 2000 European Commission
This topic is of major importance to the Community and it is in all our interests to foster a general understanding of this principle both within the Community and internationally. This conference therefore gives me an ideal opportunity to outline the Commissions view on the precautionary principle, its initiatives relating to the principle and other relevant activities.

Various Firms Are Beginning To Utilize Biotechnology
08 November 2000 Knight Ridder
For most of its 20-year history, biotechnology has focused on the workings of genes and proteins to cure and treat diseases. But the same tools used to slice and dice DNA in the search for new drugs are being adopted by all sorts of industries. Agricultural companies have turned to biotech to develop heartier crops. Food companies are experimenting with it to increase the nutritional content of rice. Chemical companies are exploring ways to make plastic out of corn.

Monsanto Commits Support For Food Companies And Farmers Following Activist Allegations
06 November 2000 Monsanto
Monsanto Company today promised full support to European food companies and regulatory agencies in response to unproven activist allegations about the corn in taco chips and is acting to protect markets for farmers and their grain. Hugh Grant, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Monsanto, also urged food authorities in the United Kingdom to obtain the data and samples used by an anti-biotechnology activist group, the Friends of the Earth.

African Trials Herald Biotech Food Revolution
04 November 2000 The Knowledge Centre
10-inch genetically modified sweet potato seedlings are being considered the “dawn of an agricultural revolution in Africa”. The sweet potato trials reflect a boom in biotechnology experiments across Africa which include: modified maize and other products which will combat livestock diseases.

Potato, The New Vaccine?
30 October 2000 The Hindu
A group in the United States has taken the first steps towards creating a genetically-modified (GM) potato, which can act as a vaccine against the virus that infects millions of people each year and threatens them with a potentially-fatal liver disease.

Genetic Engineering May Be A Slice Of Life Or 'Frankenfood'
22 October 2000 The Knowledge Centre
Scientists are now envisioning the full potential of genetic engineering. Currently the technology has been helping farmers to ward off pests, control weeds, and prevent rot, but now scientists are aiming to make drugs more affordable, medicines easier to dispense, and food more nutritious.

Blair Attacks 'Dogma' Of The Greens
22 October 2000 The Knowledge Centre
Tony Blair accused environmentalists for putting “dogma and prejudice” before science and will encourage the Government to press further with trials of GM crops. Blair’s rebuke reflects the growing irritation that “green groups are never satisfied, constantly criticizing the Government but failing to support it when it adopts environmentally friendly policies.”

GM Foods Will Find Their Niche
20 October 2000 Australian Financial Review
Consumers would benefit from cheaper food as a result of genetically modified crops, delegates to the Australia Japan Joint Business Conference in Brisbane were told this week.

Comments Of Steve L. Taylor, Ph.D. On Starlink Bt Corn
20 October 2000 Council for Agricultural Science and Technology
Was the public at risk because of this incident? I believe it was not. In order for people to become allergic to a protein they must be exposed to it multiple times over an extended period until they become sensitized. The protein must also be present as a relatively high percentage of total protein content. Most allergenic proteins are present at levels of 1 to 40 percent. Aventis indicates that the Cry9C protein is present in corn grain at 0.013 percent, but any taco shells would contain far less due to the presence of other varieties of corn and the use of other ingredients.

Firm Claims Weed-Control Benefits Of GM Sugar Beet
10 October 2000 The Irish Times
Irish crop trials on genetically modified sugar beet have shown that pesticide usage could be reduced by 40 per cent on the GM variety because of its weed-control benefits, according to the biotechnology company, Monsanto.

All Things Bright And Beautiful
07 October 2000 The Times of London
Robin Young of The Times of London, reported that as organic food sales are rising at a rate of 40 per cent each year, so are the “big-time professionals in the gentle art of consumer deception.” Eco-activists have managed to convince millions of people that organic food is healthy and good, just as assuredly as genetically modified foods must be dangerous and undesirable.

Eek! Attack of the Perfectly Harmless Tacos!
04 October 2000 Knowledge Center
The publicity is over a single protein called Cry9C which has been on the market for three years and approved for animal feed and ethanol. The original charge made against Kraft comes from John Fagan, an outspoken opponent of biotech who has capitalized on the public's fear by starting his own company that tests for GE varieties in the food supply.

Sir Gustav Warns Against Total GM Ban
02 October 2000 ABC News Online
Scientist Sir Gustav Nossal has warned against Tasmania completely banning genetically modified crops and foods: "In the longer term, these genetically modified foods can have so many benefits that I would not wish you to turn your face against them in the long term," he said."

Plant Physiology: "Ending World Hunger. The Promise Of Biotechnology And The Threat Of Antiscience Zealotry"
01 October 2000 Plant Physiology
Thirty years ago, in my acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize, I said that the Green Revolution had won a temporary success in man's war against hunger, which if fully implemented, could provide sufficient food for humankind through the end of the 20th century. But I warned that unless the frightening power of human reproduction was curbed, the success of the Green Revolution would only be ephemeral.

'Ignorance' Of Greens Berated By Scientist
28 September 2000 Knowledge Centre
Independent scientist James Lovelock, 81, who is revered by Green groups, has attacked them today for their stance on nuclear power and GM food. Lovelock, who is best known for his Gaia theory and the many environmental prizes he has won, said: "Too many Greens are not just ignorant of science, they hate science."

They Were Wrong
24 September 2000 The Observer
If you pick 12 people at random, the majority might well think that GM is a substance, like DDT. Or that if they are 'contaminated' by GM they will undergo some Frankensteinian transmogrification. Or they wouldn't understand what is funny about the protesters' slogan: 'We don't want DNA in our tomatoes.' Aren't there some beliefs too daft for 'sincerity' to be an excuse?

EPA Report Finds Biotech Crops Have Little Impact On Monarch Butterflies
22 September 2000 Biotechnology Industry Organization
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reaffirmed Wednesday that a review of all available scientific information indicates that monarch butterflies are at very little risk from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn products, contrary to widely published reports. EPA further found that “In fact, some authors are predicting that the widespread cultivation of Bt crops may have huge benefits for monarch butterfly survival.”

Researchers Say Consumers Shouldn't Be Too Concerned
19 September 2000 Associated Press
Consumers should not be too worried over reports of an unapproved biotech corn found in Taco Bell taco shells, a New Mexico State University plant genetics researcher says. "Although I do think the protein in question should not be available to consumers until studies are finished and clearly demonstrate it is not allergenic, I also think this whole thing is a bunch of hype coming from environmental organizations looking for some reason to protest biotechnology," Kemp said.

GM Crops 'Good For Wildlife And Yield'
12 September 2000 Knowledge Centre
A new generation of genetically modified crops could be a key to richer wildlife and efficient food production on British farms, a leading scientist said.

Vaccine In GM Fruit Could Wipe Out Hepatitis B
08 September 2000 Knowledge Centre
According to the Guardian, tomatoes and bananas genetically modified to contain hepatitis B vaccine could rid the world of the virus, a leading American scientist said in London yesterday. This new development will save hundreds of thousands of lives a year, said Charles Arntzen, the scientist who developed the technology.

Princess Calls For Open Mind On GM
07 September 2000 Knowledge Centre
Princess Anne said in her presidential address to the British Association science festival in London that there was "great potential for improving people's lives". She cited varieties of GM rice that had been enriched with iron and the precursors of vitamin A, which could play a role in compensating for deficient Third World diets.

Biotechnology And Food (Second Edition)
01 September 2000 The American Council on Science & Health
Modern biotechnology greatly benefits the quality and quantity of food, human and animal health, and the environment. Unfortunately, misinformation and misunderstandings about biotechnology in the popular media make it difficult for consumers to make informed assessments. This booklet explains the facts behind genetic modification (GM) and explores some of the issues surrounding the increasingly contentious debate over its use in food production.

Britain Gives Go-ahead For GM Rapeseed Trials
23 August 2000 Knowledge Centre
The British government has given official permission for 21 trials of genetically modified (GM) rapeseed to start in England in September.

Corn Growers Reject Researchers' Bt Study Conclusions
21 August 2000 National Corn Growers Association
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) disagrees with the conclusions made by two Iowa State University entomologists in an abstract from a soon-to-be-published study on the effects of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn pollen on Monarch butterflies. Bt technology is not nearly as detrimental to butterflies and other non-target species as some alternative technologies used to control insect pests, and allows farmers to produce a safe, abundant food supply.

Senior FAO Official Calls For Scientists To Speak Up For The Poor And Weak
17 August 2000 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
The scientific community has a moral responsibility to speak up for the world's poor and hungry, Assistant Director General Louise O. Fresco, head of the Organization's Agriculture Department, said today. Her wide-ranging speech examined a number of current and emerging trends in agriculture from an ethical perspective, including the uneven distribution of food, globalisation, responsible use of land and water, harnessing biological diversity and genetic modification.

GM Crops 'Will Help Save British Farming'
15 August 2000 Birmingham Post
The debate over the safety of GM crop trials was reignited last night after a leading scientist told agriculture experts the tests were vital to the future of British farming. Dr. Colin Scanes, the head of the US Plant Sciences Institute, told experts meeting at the National Agricultural Centre in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, that benefits from GM crops far outweighed any fears.

Why I'm happy To Eat GM Food
10 August 2000 Evening Standard
Personally, I would prefer to eat food produced by GM - about 80 per cent of the stuff on US supermarket shelves - than most organic merchandise, none of which has gone through the rigorous testing standards demanded of GM products. And so far there has been not a single respectable scientific body anywhere in the world that has declared a GM crop now in cultivation to be a danger to the ecosystem.

Monsanto Adds Support For Golden Rice; Opens Its Genome Sequence Data To Worldwide Research Community
04 August 2000 Monsanto
Monsanto announced today at an agricultural biotechnology symposium in Chennai, India, that it will provide royalty-free licenses for all of its technologies that can help further development of "golden rice" and other pro-vitamin A-enhanced rice varieties. The company also announced the recent launch of a new internet web site, www.rice-research.org, opening its rice genome sequence database to researchers around the world.

Science Must Help Set the Global Agenda
04 August 2000 HMS Beagle
Ignorance about or even blatant disregard of the science behind many of the world's most controversial issues is becoming all too common. This disregard for science is even more distressing in light of some of the very real problems that will affect every nation in the coming decades.

Cabinet's Support For GM Technology
31 July 2000 Knowledge Centre
According to the Daily Mail, a secret Cabinet report has turned Labour policy on genetically modified food on its head by claiming that the technology could win the war against hunger in the Third World.

Bio-Food Is Winning Public Acceptance
26 July 2000 Hudson Institute
Transgenic crops have swept across the world more rapidly than any previous farming technology, mainly because they protect crops more effectively, using less pesticide. The world's farmers are likely to plant record amounts of land to biotech crops in 2000, to reduce pesticide usage and get modestly higher yields.

Criminal Acts of Britain's Eco-Warriors Can't Be Ignored
26 July 2000 Bridge News
The flavor of the month for Britain's eco-warriors is genetically modified crops. With universities and colleges on vacation and the weather fine, the activists' seasonal migration from the cities to the countryside was expected. But the routine arrest of the activists for vandalizing fields of genetically modified crops was not.

G8 Summit: Blair Stands By Clinton In Defence Of GM Food
24 July 2000 Knowledge Center
The Daily Telegraph reports that Tony Blair stood side by side with Bill Clinton yesterday as the US President accused Europe of being too cautious about experiments in biotechnology and genetically modified foods.

Luke Johnson's View: Starving From Ignorance
23 July 2000 Knowledge Centre
This article portrays the view of the chairman of the Belgo Group and founder of Intrinsic Value, Luke Johnson, on the public's misperception of biotechnology and GMOs and the negative consequences for Third World countries.

Transgenic Plants And World Agriculture
17 July 2000 National Academy Press
This is a report prepared by the Royal Society of London, the US National Academy of Sciences, the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Science Academy, the Mexican Academy of Sciences and the Third World Academy of Sciences about transgenic plants and their impact on world agriculture.

Commission Takes Initiative To Restore Confidence In GMO Approval Process
13 July 2000 European Union
The European Commission decided yesterday to propose to Member States a strategy to regain public trust in the approval procedure for Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). The objective is to resume the authorisation process for GMOs in the near future whilst addressing public concerns on GMOs as well as problems of legal uncertainty for stakeholders.

Facts On GMOs In The EU
13 July 2000 European Union
This is a detailed report on the current legislation in the EU on GMOs, the authorisation procedure, the rules on labelling, and the rules on liability.

GM Food Can Feed Hungry Millions
12 July 2000 Knowledge Center
Some of the world's top scientists launched a campaign supporting genetically modified food, with a report outlining how the technology could help to feed the world.

Transgenic Technology Could Be Key To Easing World Hunger
11 July 2000 The Royal Society
Leading scientists have urged private corporations and research institutions to share their knowledge of transgenic technology in order to help alleviate the problem of growing world hunger.

Seven Academies of Science Urge Action to Promote Use of Biotech in Alleviating World Hunger, Poverty
11 July 2000 National Academy of Sciences
Seven academies of science from around the world, including five from developing nations, issued a white paper today spelling out the promise of agricultural biotechnology to alleviate hunger and poverty in the Third World.

Genetically Modified Food Fear Unfounded
07 July 2000 London Free Press
According to Rory Leishman, boycotting all GM foods for fear of food poisoning is no more rational than cowering indoors on a cloudless day, for fear of lightning.

Immunity To Virus Triggered By Vaccine In Potato
06 July 2000 Daily University Science News
Human immunity to a virus has been triggered for the first time by a vaccine genetically engineered into a potato. The specific virus involved is the pervasive Norwalk virus, the leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States and much of the developed world.

GM Crops Could Solve Food Supply Problems
01 July 2000 Aberdeen Press and Journal
Bill MacFarlane Smith, the head of scientific liaison and information services at Invergowrie's Scottish Crop Research Institute, told a delegation from the Institute of Directors that the doubling of the world's population over the next 50 years could cause food supply problems. But he believed GM crops could help ensure the world of the future was fed.

World Needs GM Crops, Says UN Food Chief
29 June 2000 Knowledge Center
According to the Financial Times, Jacques Diouf, the head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) gave genetically-modified (GM) organisms his backing on Wednesday, saying new plant and animal varieties were needed to feed a burgeoning world population.

Area Planted With Transgenic Crops Up In 1999
29 June 2000 ISAAA
The area planted with genetically engineered (GE) crops worldwide jumped to 39.9 million hectares in 1999, an increase of 44%, according to a new brief by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). The report, "Global Review of Commercialized Transgenic Crops: 1999," details trends in GE crop use.

Could Biotech Help The Environment?
27 June 2000 Christian Science Monitor
Protesters call biotechnology a ticking time bomb for the environment. In fact, researchers are finding the technology may help the environment if it's judiciously used.

Irrational Fear In The Age Of Biotechnology
26 June 2000 Bridge News
We are standing on a great peak and a new country lies at our feet. But not everyone wants to explore this realm of adventure, or to face up to the scientific, moral and philosophical challenges that must be encountered on the pilgrimage. For me the saddest thing of all in this battle has been that first casualty of all wars, honesty. The attack on biotechnology in agriculture has been the fiercest and it has been characterized by the willful misuse of science.

Without GM We Would Both Be Dead By Now
15 June 2000 University of Bristol
During a recent debate, a young man decided he would make a dramatic protest about all forms of technology, especially the evils of genetically modified (GM) anything. Only through a concerted campaign of public education, and freedom of information, might we discover sufficient truth to make rational choices and negate those protesting and manipulating, or being manipulated, by the media.

Will Frankenfood Feed The World?
13 June 2000 Time Magazine
Biotech is not a panacea, but it does promise to transform agriculture in many developing countries. If that promise is not fulfilled, the real losers will be their people, who could suffer for years to come.

Biotechnology: Building Consumer Acceptance
10 June 2000 European Commission
Speaking at the European Business Summit in Brussels, Commissioner Byrne said that to restore citizens’ confidence in crop and food biotechnology, we need to have better and comprehensible information.

New GM Advisory Body Is 'Your Voice In Government'
05 June 2000 Cabinet Office
A new independent strategic body was launched today to advise the British Government on biotechnology.

Anne Backs GM Food
04 June 2000 Sunday Express
Princess Anne yesterday came out in favour of genetically modified foods - in direct opposition to the views of the Prince of Wales.

Expert Predicts Strong GM Future
02 June 2000 Farmers Weekly
Professor C S Prakash from the Center for Plant Biotechnology Research, Tukegee University, Alabama, views GM technology as a useful tool to feed a growing population as resources deplete.

Cells Clue To Better Crops
01 June 2000 Belfast News Letter
Scientists have accelerated a plant's growth by making its cells split faster - a technique that could some day lead to heartier crops, shorter growing seasons and less use of herbicides.

U.S. - EU Cooperation On Biotechnology
01 June 2000 M2 Presswire
Lack of public confidence in the European food safety system has led to paralysis on approval of biotech foods. This is significantly undermining progress on food security in developing nations causing uncertainty in markets around the world and harming U.S. farm exports.

Tests On Supposedly Healthy Organic Foods Find High Levels Of Deadly Bacteria
30 May 2000 Herald Express
A US study, compared organically grown lettuces and brussel sprouts to vegetables produced conventionally. Alarmingly, researchers found that non-organic lettuce had 1,000 E-coli cells per gramme, but the organic alternative had 100,000. There was a similar 100-fold increase between ordinary and organic sprouts.

Britain Lags Behind On GM Crops
29 May 2000 ProBiotech
The current brouhaha over the accidental planting of crops containing tiny amounts (less than 1 per cent) of genetically modified seed demonstrates the total lack of perspective in the UK over the history and benefits of biotechnology in agriculture. We are way behind the game; the sooner we complete our own meagre trials and move to full commercialisation the better for all of us. Only then will common sense stop being "contaminated" by hysteria.

Teenagers See Monitored GM Foods As Part Of Future
26 May 2000 The Irish Times
Irish teenagers believe biotechnology may soon have the same relevance to their lives as the Internet, according to entries in a competition for transition year students.

Debate Please, Not Fear
20 May 2000 The Journal
HRH the Prince of Wales's attitude to science is very much along the lines of the stance he has previously adopted on contemporary architecture. He appears to be "agin it". If Prince Charles's intent is to open a debate on the role of science, his intervention is welcome. Such debate is needed. Fear and dislike of science is not.

Zero Tolerance Of GM Impossible
19 May 2000 Farmers Weekly
Zero tolerance of genetically modified material is an impossible standard, claims the company at the centre of the GM contaminated oilseed row. Groups calling for zero tolerance of GM technology want the crops located and destroyed. The EU does not have a threshold over which seed is felt to be contaminated, so effectively the acceptable level is zero.

GM Food Is Good For You
18 May 2000 The Knowledge Centre
The Green Revolution has run its course, and GM technology offers the most promising solution in that it allows better crops to be developed more quickly than is possible by conventional breeding.

GM Mix-Up Offers An Opportunity Not To Be Missed
18 May 2000 CropGen
It seems that some tens of thousands of acres in the UK were planted with oilseed rape, less than one per cent of it genetically modified for herbicide tolerance. As CropGen would have expected, none of the doomsday scenarios predicted by anti-GM campaigners has occurred. The seeds were also grown in Sweden, France and Germany. Together with the UK, those countries can benefit from an evaluation of possible environmental effects of GM oilseed rape in their own local contexts.

"Golden Rice" Collaboration Brings Health Benefits Nearer
16 May 2000 Greenovation
A collaboration is announced today (Tuesday May 16, 2000) that will help fight blindness in developing countries through the use of genetically modified rice. The collaboration will help the inventors of "Golden Rice" to deliver their gift of nutritionally-enhanced rice to the developing nations of the world, bringing closer the health benefits for countries where Vitamin A deficiency is the cause of 500,000 cases of irreversible blindness each year.

Genetically Modified Food
12 May 2000 The Irish Times
It is noticeable that those most vociferously opposed to GM foods are based in countries least likely to be debilitated by malnutrition: the type of people who can afford to indulge their preference for expensive, quick-rotting organic food. However, the countries of the developing world can ill-afford to engage in lengthy disputes about imaginary, hypothetical risks or irrational fears and prejudices.

Supermarkets Are Victims Of Anti-Science Lobby
10 May 2000 CropGen
The ruling by the Advertising Standards Association (ASA) against two supermarkets in respect of their GM and organic foods leaflets raises critical questions about information and choice.

Organic Food Taste Test Was Misleading
10 May 2000 The Journal
Claims by two leading supermarkets that organic food tastes better and that mistakes in GM food technology may have caused deaths in the US were today branded as "misleading" and "unsubstantiated" by the advertising industry watchdog. The Advertising Standards Authority upheld complaints against a Tesco brochure promoting its organic range and a leaflet about GM foods produced by Iceland.

The Great Green Con-Trick
07 May 2000 The Mail On Sunday
Dr. Patrick Moore, the academic and renowned ecologist, was a founder member of Greenpeace, and later became its president. He helped to create the direct-action campaigning style which made the environmental protest group famous throughout the world. But now he is appalled by what it has become and in this searing attack he condemns the extremists who, he believes, have taken over Greenpeace, and the celebrities who have flocked to support the rainforest campaign.

Gordon Conway Impatient With The Debate Over GM Foods
05 May 2000 The Knowledge Centre
Crude polarisation in the debate over genetically modified crops is preventing proper discussion, says Gordon Conway, president of the Rockefeller Institute.

Biotechnology Investment Needs Big Boost To Sustain Growth
03 May 2000 The Irish Times
Large-scale and sustained investment in biotechnology is necessary if the Irish economy is to continue to maintain its dynamism, it has been claimed following publication of a report on biotech research needs.

GM Crops: Less Risk To Neighbours Than Organic Ones
02 May 2000 Farming On-Line
A Cornish potato grower has told Farmers on Line that he is more concerned about the risk to his crops from organic growers nearby than he is about GM crop trials, and a south west Conservative MEP has called for the trials to continue.

Genetically Modified Foods
27 April 2000 The Irish Times
In scientific terms, the anti-GM argument remains devoid of any real substance: There is still no real evidence of any environmental damage caused by growing GM crops. Nobody has died; in fact, nobody has been known to suffer so much as a stomach upset as a consequence of eating GM foods. Yet, anti-GM hysteria gathers momentum in the media, crop trials continue to be destroyed by vandals and organised opposition continues to grow.

Biotech Battles
25 April 2000 Journal of Commerce
Washington and Brussels recently launched a regular exchange of scientific information and views on biotechnology. Over time, this could help to persuade the EU and member states that biotechnology should be regulated like any other industry -- with an eye on the facts and not on baseless fears.

Global Warming May Make GM Food A Necessity
15 April 2000 The Journal
Professor Tony Trewavas told the Edinburgh Science Festival there was real danger that global warming would bring about dramatic and rapid changes in Europe's climate with devastating impact on our agriculture and ability to feed ourselves. GM crops could then become essential because new plants could be created within a couple of years to survive the much colder climate and ensure a home-grown food supply.

Smith Releases Report On Genetically-Modified Plants
13 April 2000 U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science
Committee on Science Subcommittee on Basic Research Chairman Nick Smith (R-MI) today released a report assessing the benefits and risks of genetically-modified plants and plant-derived foods, and recommending changes in federal regulation. The report, Seeds of Opportunity, concludes that there is no significant difference between plant varieties created using agricultural biotechnology and similar plants created using traditional crossbreeding.

Liability Vote On GMOs Fails
13 April 2000 The Journal
Efforts to make producers of genetically modified foods legally liable for the results failed yesterday. Euro MPs rejected calls to impose responsibility on the makers for any damage done by genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to human health or the environment.

Europe Says Yes To Biotech
12 April 2000 EuropaBio
EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, welcomes today's vote by the European Parliament of the Revision of EU-Directive 90-220 on the deliberate release of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) into the environment.

G8 Summit To Ponder Plan For World Forum On Transgenic Food
11 April 2000 Agence France Presse
The Group of Eight (G8) summit in Japan in July will, according to this story, be asked to set up a global forum to help assess the safety and impact of genetically-modified foods. The proposal was announced Friday by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which has been asked by the G8 to help clarify the debate on transgenic foods.

In Biotech, The European Tail Must Not Wag The American Dog
11 April 2000 ProBiotech
Europeans are not aware of many new developments in biotechnology being developed in the United States. Exciting opportunities are produced with care and attention for both human nutrition and the environment that will revolutionize the food industry and greatly enhanced the production of crops.

Cancer Expert Says GM Crops Can Be Healthier (summary)
10 April 2000 The Knowledge Centre
According to an article in the Independent, Sir Walter Bodmer, principal of Hertford College and one of Britain's leading geneticists, attacked Lord Melchett, the executive director of Greenpeace, for demanding that genetically modified crops be proven absolutely safe.

Rice Crop Research Agreement Is Major Scientific Milestone
06 April 2000 Eastern Daily Press
Scientists at Norwich Research Park have been given a major boost to undestand the genetic make-up of one of the world's key food crops. Scientists will be able to make faster progress in understanding the rice crop, which helps to provide almost half the world's food needs.

Terminology Key To GM Acceptance
05 April 2000 Farm Gate
Agribusiness must choose its words carefully when stepping into the fray over biofoods. "The treminology has been over looked - it really is important to consumers how we refer to this."

Ecologists Urged To Challenge 'Green' Activists
31 March 2000 CropGen
As the GM debate enters what is likely to be a week of high drama, ecologists around the world are being urged to challenge the right of green activists to speak on behalf of the environment and diversity.

Proposed Listing Of GM Maize To National List
29 March 2000 The Cabinet Office
UK Ministers today announced that they have proposed a GM forage maize variety (CHARDON LL) for addition to the UK National List.

Eat Your GM Greens, They're Good For You (Summary)
27 March 2000 The Knowledge Centre
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Dr. James Watson, elaborated on his attitudes about genetics and GM foods. Last week Dr. Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, made some harsh comments about the Prince of Wales work against GM foods in the UK.

Who's The True Hypocrite?
25 March 2000 The Grocer
January's report from the UK's Pesticide Safety Directorate shows that, in 1999, of all the samples of GM and conventional soya tested from Asda, Co-op, Morrisons, Plymco, Safeway, Sainsbury's and Tesco, no glyphosate could be found above the 0,1 ppm detection level, let alone the EU maximum of 20 ppm. In other words, the levels of glyphosate found in GM soys were 200 times lower than the permitted safety levels.

Real Aim Of Supermarkets
24 March 2000 Farmers Weekly
UK farmers are operating at the mercy of supermarkets, which aim solely to make money for themselves. They say that they want to provide for customers but we know their real aim. There's one chain aiming to provide GM-free food. The others hypocritically demand farm assurance, while entrepreneurs set up assurance scheme businesses to be bought and sold.

GM Food Is Not The Bogeyman
24 March 2000 Farmers Weekly
If those opposed to GM foods could identify what has been harmful then we could assess the risk. But I don't think anyone has died of GM food yet. I would prefer the protesters to divert their enthusiasm to more harmful products such as tobacco, alcohol or petrol.

Biotechnology Survey
23 March 2000 Monsanto Company
Over 2000 farmers returned our questionnaire, and approximately 78% farmed over 100 hectares, and 25% farmed over 300 hectares. Important to us were your views on Biotechnology, and in general your responses were positive in that 89% support Biotechnology crops for agriculture.

Scientists And Farmers Create Improved Crops For Scarce World
21 March 2000 E-Markets
Farmers and scientists are developing "miracle rice," "hardy corn" and other innovative crops to help the 2.7 billion people who will be living in water-scarce regions by the year 2025, says the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

Biotechnology Will Save The Poorest
15 March 2000 Texas A&M University
While the affluent nations can certainly afford to adopt elitist positions, and pay more for food produced by so-called natural methods, the 1 billion chronically undernourished people of the low-income, food-deficit nations cannot. Global food insecurity will not disappear without the effective application of new technology. To ignore this reality will make future solutions all the more difficult to achieve.

Bishop Gives His Blessing To GM Crops (Summary)
15 March 2000 The Knowledge Centre
The new Bishop of Ely, the Right Rev Anthony Russell has spoken out in favour of crop trials for genetically modified crops. The Bishop believes that the negative opinion of many people about GM foods is mostly based on "media excitement" and not on scientific evidence.

GM Foods: What Went Wrong (Summary)
15 March 2000 The Knowledge Centre
Accoding to an article in the March 15th Wall Street Journal (Europe), the battle over genetically modified foods appears to be heating up again for the new season. Groups such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace are already preparing to demonstrate at the 70 sites used for GM research, as soon as their locations are announced. Last year thousands of pounds in vandalism was caused by these groups over GM foods.

GM Crops
14 March 2000 CropGen
Professor ZhangLiang Chen of Beijing University presented the conference with compelling research, shortly to be published, which showed no effect on the health of animals fed on a variety of GM foods.

Green Campaigners Could Condemn Britain To A Chemical Future, Warns CropGen
12 March 2000 CropGen
"If we are not allowed to develop alternative agricultural practices, the effect on wildlife and the environment could be devastating," he said. "Whilst organic farming provides an alternative with its lower use of pesticides, it alone cannot provide a sustainable food supply for the UK population.

Dear Sun
07 March 2000 The Sun
As a farmer growing GM crops for scientific pusposes, I am dismayed at calls for trials to be stopped. We must make judgments on the basis of sound scientific data. GM technology can improve our crops and our environment.

Cloudy Horizons In A Brave New World
07 March 2000 The Hoover Institution
Unnecessary and unpredictable regulation invariably discourages use of a technology, so this situation is a prescription for disaster. The extreme regulations on GM foods will deprive scientists, farmers and food companies of research tools, and consumers of additional choices in the marketplace.

MPs Call For More Informed Debate On GM Foodstuffs
07 March 2000 Birmingham Post
MPs will urge the Government today to replace the "confusion" over GM technology with "rational debate and education". Such a move would enable the market to serve farmers who actively choose to grow GM crops and those who want to eat them, as well as those who do not, according to the all-party agriculture committee in its inquiry into the controversial new technology.

Chairman Of OECD Conference Calls For International Consultative Panel On GM Foods
01 March 2000 OECD
An OECD conference in Edinburgh on the scientific and health aspects of genetically modified (GM) foods ended with a call from the conference chairman for the creation of an international consultative panel to address all sides of the GM debate.

Chairman's Report Of The OECD Conference
01 March 2000 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The conference was attended by about 400 invitees from more than 25 countries. Its aim was to be inclusive, and to encourage a wide diversity of views to be expressed both on the platform and in the audience. Each session was organised with short introductory presentations, followed by commentaries from panel discussants before opening the discussion to the audience.

£25 Millions Biotechnology Centres To Study GMOs
01 March 2000 The Irish Times
Three biotechnology centres are to be built in Ireland at a cost of (pounds) 25 million. They will carry out research in agriculture, including GM foods, under an investment programme to be implemented by Teagasc, the State's agricultural research body.

Rapporteurs' Summary Of The OECD Conference
01 March 2000 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
This report reports the views of the two rapporteurs on common ground emerging during the conference, both on matters of substance and on how to move debate forward.

Organic Myths: The Retreat From Science
01 March 2000 Biotechnology and Development Monitor
According to a survey, British consumers prefer organic food because they believe it is produced without artificial chemicals and therefore better for human health and for the environment. Roger Bate claims these assumptions are not justified because organic food may be worse than genetically modified foods.

Scientist Defends Safety Of GM Foods
29 February 2000 The Journal
Scientists last night moved to reassure the public that genetically modified foods are safe after claims that the American government had carried out a massive cover-up and ignored scientific advice.

UK: Blair's GM Food Comment Not A U-Turn Says Minister
27 February 2000 Knowledge Centre
The British government has maintained its position on genetically modified (GM) food despite an article by Prime Minister Tony Blair seen as signalling a shift in policy, a cabinet minister said on Sunday.

New Initiative To Make The Case For Crop Biotechnology
25 February 2000 CropGen
The initiative, CropGen, will provide a resource for the general public, interest groups and the media on the subject of GM crops. CropGen will comprise a panel of scientists and other specialists from a variety of disciplines, including agriculture, plant science, microbiology, ecology and consumer affairs.

Don't Misrepresent Biotechnology
22 February 2000 USA Today
Critics of biotechnology ignore the elaborate safety system that already exists in the USA, and the health and environmental risks of existing agricultural methods that biotechnology can help solve.

SCRI Annual Report For 1998/99
22 February 2000 Scottish Crop Research Institute
As in the past, the Report includes a number of review articles, split between the major areas of research. In addition, the Director of SCRI, Professor John Hillman, provides what many consider to be the most comprehensive review of global and UK perspectives of factors influencing agricultural, biological and environmental sciences.

Nobel Prize Winners Endorse Agricultural Biotechnology
21 February 2000 BusinessWorld
Renowned US scientists James Watson and Norman Borlaug join more than 1,000 other scientists from around the world in endorsing the "Declaration of Scientists in Support of Agricultural Biotechnology."

Genetic Modification Isn't An Unnatural Process, Borlaug Says
02 February 2000 Minneapolis Star Tribune
Norman Borlaug has a point to insert into the debate over genetically modified foods: Ordinary leavened bread is made from wheat that carries the genes of three plant species. And the genetic engineering didn't happen in the past decade or even the past millennium. Nature spliced the genes before the rise of the Roman Empire.

Organic Farming: Science And Belief (A Summary)
01 February 2000 Scottish Crop Research Institute
We would like to be able to argue for a different route in some aspects, between 'organic' and 'conventional, high input' farming. An exemplary issue is the production of varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases, that would lead to the reduction or even elimination of particular chemical inputs. Instead, the pharisaic attitude of many in the organic movement leads to feelings of frustration in some scientists who can see the applicability of their work to the system, yet have it rejected. The products of biotechnology in general and of genetic engineering in particular are among that work.

'Parmacia Corporation', nouvelle désignation pour la firme issue de la fusion Monsanto/Pharmacia & Upjohn
27 January 2000 Monsanto
Monsanto Company (Nyse: MTC) et Pharmacia & Upjohn (NYSE: PNU) ont annoncé aujourd'hui le choix de Pharmacia Corporation comme nom de la nouvelle compagnie issue de leur fusion prochaine.

FAO Urges Increased Research On Functional Properties Of Starch To Help Developing Countries Compete In World Markets
21 January 2000 UN Food and Agriculture Organization
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has urged research institutes to look into the various properties of starch in an effort to help developing countries compete more effectively in world starch markets.

La Commission adopte le Livre Blanc sur la sécurité alimentaire et se fixe un programme d'action législative 'de la ferme à la table'
13 January 2000 Commission européenne
La Commission a adopté ce jour un Livre Blanc sur la stécuritté alimentaire. Le Livre blanc prtévoit un plan de rtéforme radical: il propose un programme de rtéformes ltégislatives de grande ampleur pour compltéter l'approche europtéenne "de la ferme à la table" et la crtéation d'une nouvelle Autoritté alimentaire europtéenne.

UM Study Finds Little Cross-Pollination From Altered Crops
08 January 2000 Bangor Daily News
A study conducted throughout the fall at the University of Maine's Cooperative Extension farm has found that there is little cross-pollination between genetically engineered and conventional corn plants in the field.

Hong Kong Rejects Compulsory Labelling Of GM Food
06 January 2000 Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Hong Kong's government has rejected calls for the introduction of compulsory labelling of genetically modified (GM) foods. Secretary for Environment and Food Lily Yam, in overruling a legislative vote in favour of such labelling, said there was no conclusive proof that GM foods are harmful, news reports said Thursday.