Latest News

July 2008

Time to Weed Out Our Rooted GM Prejudices?
22 July 2008 Wales Online
But at a time when Welsh farmers are paying a £60 premium on each tonne of non-GM soya, it is foolish not to ask if our aversion to fusing the twin sciences of genetics and agriculture is wholly justified.

Super-Tobacco Sees Red at Land Mines
22 July 2008 Business Day
Scientists from the University of Stellenbosch have teamed up with Danish biotechnology firm Aresa to test a genetically engineered tobacco plant that turns red when it grows near land mines, offering hope of a cheap way to help clear fields in post-conflict zones.

WA Farmers Back GM Cotton Trial
22 July 2008 The West Australian
Pesticide giant Monsanto’s application to grow a test crop of the GM cotton was announced on the Federal Gene Technology Regulator’s website, which said it was open for public comment until the end of next month.

Welsh Assembly Opposition to GM is 'Wrong'
21 July 2008 Farmers Weekly
The Welsh Assembly government must be more open to GM technology if Welsh farmers are to remain competitive on a European and world stage, Harper Adams principal, Wynn Jones has said.

Dominican Republic Stresses Increased Food Production
21 July 2008 Caribbean Net News
President Leonel Fernandez said the use of biotechnology will be increased as soon as possible to assist all farmers, as well as using genetically modified seeds to raise crop yields and crop quality, which at present is lacking in farming in this country.

Allergen-free GM Plants May Boost Food Safety: Experts
21 July 2008 Food Navigator
Genetic modification of plants and crops has long been touted as a means of producing hypoallergenic foods, but real progress in this area is limited by overcoming the "essential requirement for some of the major allergenic proteins for normal plant function," wrote Mohan Singh and Prem Bhalla from the University of Melbourne.

Science Supersizes Crops
21 July 2008 redOrbit
Mr. James stressed the need for genetically modified crops to help farmers grow more food on fewer acres as the world is running out of land and water while the population is expected to climb to 9 billion by 2015.

Plants Make Vaccine for Treating Type of Cancer in Stanford Study
21 July 2008 Stanford School of Medicine
Plants could act as safe, speedy factories for growing antibodies for personalized treatments against a common form of cancer, according to new findings from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Genetic Engineering to Increase Crops' Essential Amino Acid Content
18 July 2008 Crop Biotech Net
A high-lysine maize cultivar, LY038, represents the first genetically modified (GM) crop with high nutritional value to be approved for commercial use in a number of countries.

New Flour Means Bread Could Fight Obesity
18 July 2008 Daily Telegraph
Researchers at the National Institute for Agricultural Botany in Cambridge have produced a genetically modified form of wheat that releases fewer calories into the body compared to other varieties currently available.

Burkina Launches Monsanto GMO Cotton to Boost Crop
18 July 2008 Reuters
Two strains of Bt cotton, both developed from local varieties, have been approved for production and general sale, Zourata Lompo, director of Burkina Faso's National Biosecurity Agency (ANB) told a news conference on Thursday.

Use of GM Foods Inevitable in EU- Expert
18 July 2008 The Irish Times
Prof Cunningham issued a formal report to Government on GM foods last summer. It looked at safety, benefits and risks and, after assessing a range of studies on the issue, he believed GM was of value to Ireland.

EFSA: No Scientific Evidence to Justify GM Maize Ban
18 July 2008 Crop Biotech Net
EFSA further said that the scientific evidence currently available does not sustain the arguments provided by Greece and Hungary and that cultivation of maize MON810 is unlikely to endanger human and animal health or the environment.

Low-Level Presence of Biotech Crops
18 July 2008 Truth about Trade & Technology
The recent G-8 leaders’ statement on global food security included a position on biotechnology, “we will promote science-based risk analysis including on the contribution of seed varieties developed through biotechnology.”

Controlled Release of GM Banana in Australia
18 July 2008 Crop Biotech Net
The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has received an approval from Australia's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) for the limited and controlled release of up to 17 banana lines genetically modified for disease resistance.

2008 Monsanto Technology Expo Offers Glimpse of Future
17 July 2008 Monsanto
Among the displays at the Monsanto Technology Expo will be highlights on stackable traits geared to the future of corn and soybean production. This reflects the company's goal of doubling yields by 2030, says Mike McGuire, director of Monsanto Canada's corn and soybean commercial business.

Monsanto Grant to Help "Ag in the Classroom" Program
16 July 2008 Carolina-Virginia Farmer
People at the Monsanto Company understand, however, what it takes to get farming's story out to the public. The company recently made 2008 Monsanto Outreach for Agriculture grants of $5,000 each to AITC programs in Virginia, Ohio and Florida.

‘Genetically Modified Food good for Nigeria’
16 July 2008 Daily Trust
On the contrary, GM advocates aver that GM plants are often created to resist disease and eliminate the need for pesticides. This super Crops is also said to produce a harder texture, higher nutritional value or faster growth. All said, given the large share of agriculture in our Gross Domestic Product, the importance of Biotechnology, as a national manipulation of biological objects cannot be over-emphasized.

Gas Savings From Biofuel Offset Food Price Hikes But Livestock Operators Feeling Ethanol Pinch
16 July 2008 Southwest Farm Press
[Max Starbuck, director of production, stewardship and livestock for the National Corn Growers Association] said ...“Extending the 30-year trend, we could average 200 bushels per acre by 2030. If we add molecular breeding and biotechnology, we could see 300 bushel averages by 2030.”

NFU President to Meet EU Health Commissioner
16 July 2008 Farming UK
NFU president to meet EU health commissioner ..[Mr Kendall said]"I shall be asking her what progress is being made towards reaching a solution to the problems of high feed prices that are being exacerbated by EU rules on zero tolerance for unauthorised GMOs in animal feed.

Animal Feed Up In The Air
16 July 2008 Radio Poland
The president of the National Poultry Council Romuald Paczkowski says a ban on feeds containing GMOs would cause poultry prices to increase by an average 10 percent.

GM Feed in Free Range Egg Production: Retailers Policies Are No Longer Sustainable
16 July 2008 Farming UK
The non-GM policy is non-sustainable and it is only a matter of time before it all falls over. The question is, when will that be?

Shoppers Show Little Concern About GM
15 July 2008 Financial Times
Suffice to say, the UK Food Standards Agency's annual consumer trends survey this January showed UK shoppers' concern for GM was so great that it didn't reach 3 per cent, unlike concerns about preservatives or additives. Even when prompted. their GM concern managed only 20 per cent.

Food Concerns Prompt China to Prioritize GM Rice
15 July 2008 Monsters and Critics
Premier Wen Jiabao led a meeting of the cabinet which said the development of GMOs was of 'great strategic significance to strengthening innovation in agricultural technology, lifting the level of plant cultivation, promoting higher efficiency and yield, and raising the nation's international competitiveness in agriculture.'

Waterproof Rice Survives Flooding
15 July 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer
When water does not drain in a couple of days, an ordinary rice crop would be damaged, Mackill said, as he stressed that producing the sub1 variety will be relevant and helpful to farmers. “Having this gene in the [rice] variety gives the plant a little bit of protection against flooding and gives the farmers some insurance policy,” the IRRI scientists said.

Warmer Weather Needed to Help Cool Surging Food Prices
14 July 2008 The Scotsman
However, the case was made for GM-crops during the Royal Show at Stoneleigh by Colin Merrit of Monsanto. He pointed out that in the US one-fifth of rapeseed, two-thirds of soya and a quarter of maize is GM. Merrit added that in a survey of GM growers, 76 per cent of the respondents said they grew modified crops because of higher yields and better pest control.

Ontario Farmers Can Play Big Role in World's Food Problems
14 July 2008 Owen Sound Sun Times
For our farmers to meet this challenge of producing more food, they'll need access to all the new technologies and tools they can get.

Experts Detail How Rice Absorbs So Much Arsenic
14 July 2008 Reuters
That team hopes that their findings could one day lead to genetically engineered crops that allow rice, for example, to accumulate silicon but not arsenic.

Vic's GM Canola Crops Performing Well
14 July 2008 ABC News
Monsanto's Canola business leader Tony May says there is strong interest in GM canola because of its potential for better yields and herbicide resistance.

Reporting on the GM Debate
14 July 2008 University of Melbourne
We need a combination of scientists and regulators involved in future discussions to articulate the benefits of GM crops and show how we deal with the risks.

Same Good Earth, Different Harvests
13 July 2008 The Chicago Tribune
St. Louis-based Monsanto, maker of genetically modified seed, is among a host of agribusiness giants that see profits rising as the rich get richer supplying the world's food: "Acres are finite, so the challenge is how do you make a lot more with a lot less," Monsanto Chief Executive Hugh Grant told investors recently.

South Africa Develops New GM Potato Variety
13 July 2008 Africa Science News Service
Environmental studies further showed that the GM crop controls the potato tuber moth without affecting other organisms.

Soaring Worldwide Food Prices are Breaking Down Resistance
12 July 2008 The Progress-Index
Globally, according to industry statistics, biotech crop use has expanded substantially over the last year, to more than 300 million acres from about 200 million.

Will GM Foods End Global Hunger?
12 July 2008 Sky News
There are no wholly GM foods in Europe but European leaders - particularly those who attended the G8 summit in Japan earlier this week - have made a commitment to re-examine the possibilities that science, but more importantly GM, might provide.

No Easy Solutions To Food Price Rise
12 July 2008 Houston Chronicle
A large percentage of U.S. corn has the Bt gene in it to control certain pests, and it's been so for more than a decade. There's no good evidence it's done any harm. This technology has brought major economic and environmental benefits.

Burkina Faso Officially Joins Biotech Countries
11 July 2008 Crop Biotech Net
Burkina Faso has finally commercialized Bt cotton making it the third African country after South Africa and Egypt to join the ranks of biotech crop countries.

GM Tobacco to Clean-up Soil and Groundwater Contaminant
11 July 2008 Crop Biotech Net
Scientists from the University of York and University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom developed transgenic tobacco that can accumulate and 'detoxify' the haloalkane 1,2-dichloroethane.

Wonder Food That Protects the Brain
10 July 2008 Daily Express
Scientists have discovered a method of genetically modifying tomatoes so that when eaten it will boost the immune system to tackle the brain-wasting condition which affects memory, mood and behaviour. Alzheimer's, which has no cure, affects an estimated 750,000 people in Britain.

China Approves Big Budget For GMO Amid Food Worries
10 July 2008 Reuters
..."GMO technology is the only solution right now for the country to raise yield and reduce use of pesticide, which is harmful for the environment," said Huang Dafang.

Genetically Engineered Crops Continue to Grow in Nebraska
10 July 2008 The Grand Island Independent
According to BIO, ag biotechnology has environmental benefits as biotech crop varieties require less cultivation and fewer pesticide applications. They also save fuel and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) air emissions, allowing for improved soil health and water retention.

A Time to Sow? GM Food Could Curb Cost of Staples
10 July 2008 Financial Times
Monsanto is meanwhile working on adding genes that enable crops to use nitrogen more efficiently.

Due to Rising Food Needs, Transgenic Wheat Could Be on The Rise Worldwide
09 July 2008 GRAINNET
With world wheat stocks at historic lows, some longtime opponents of transgenic (often called genetically modified organisms) are coming to the realization that, without increased adaptation of transgenics, the world’s farmers cannot produce enough safe, wholesome food to feed its people.

Fungus Fuel of the Future Say Warwickshire Scientists
09 July 2008 Coventry Telegraph
Britain's cars could soon be fuelled by fungus, thanks to a team of Warwickshire scientists. As Gordon Brown this week sounded a warning about biofuels, Warwick University scientists were already working on the solution, using fungus as their secret weapon.

The Rich World and the Food Crisis
08 July 2008 The Wall Street Journal
Monsanto has promised new modified seeds that will double crop yields and, this time, finicky European bans will not prevail.

The Scientific Solution
08 July 2008 redOrbit
Given these circumstances, a genetically modified (GM), blight- resistant crop could be a saviour to many potato growers - as could other kinds of GM crops to a number of growers.

Government to Lobby For More GM in UK
08 July 2008 Farmers Guardian
The Government is to conduct an in-depth study into the effects of the EU’s antiquated GM approval system on the livestock sector and implications for UK consumers.

High Prices Nudge Europe Nearer to GM Food
07 July 2008 Reuters
The European Commission has said it believes biotech crops can alleviate the current crisis in food supply, although it added in June that expediency should not overrule strict scientific scrutiny of the use of GMO technology.

Push For 'Frankenfoods' to Beat Shortages
07 July 2008 Evening Standard
Gordon Brown today urged millions of families to act against soaring food prices as he hinted that GM crops may soon be introduced in Britain.

Scientists Reopen Debate over GM Food
06 July 2008 The Sunday Times
Heading towards the market are potatoes with 33% more protein content, modified tomatoes that could be capable of protecting against cancer and peanuts without the chemicals that cause deadly nut allergies.

ICGEB Receives Grant From the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to Strengthen and Expand Biosafety Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa
06 July 2008 MaximsNews Network
The foundation is working with partners on efforts across the entire agricultural value chain - from seeds and soil to farm management and market access - with the goal of helping small farmers access the tools and opportunities they need to improve their lives.

World Looks to Science to Solve Food Crisis
05 July 2008 The Toronto Star
Biotechnology giants Monsanto and BASF have joined forces in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa to develop genetically modified drought-tolerant corn, using $47 million (U.S.) in funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Feeding the Food Crisis, Securing Insecurity
05 July 2008 Moneyweb
GM crops are environmentally friendly as they reduce dependence on costly irrigation schemes and toxic pesticides.

GMO Wheat May Help Solve Food Crisis, Australian Scientist Says
04 July 2008 Bloomberg
Wheat genetically modified to tolerate drought would boost crop yields and may help the world resolve a food crisis, an Australian state researcher said.

Restocking the Global Pantry
04 July 2008 Eureka Street
The Summit failed to deal with [the genetically modified foods] issue although many scientists are convinced that without them it will not be possible to meet future global food needs.

Innovation Will Drive GM crops, Says Monsanto Boss
04 July 2008 The Press and Journal
Colin Merritt said with the rest of the world adopting GM there was growing pressure on Europe to speed up its approvals process and change its stance on what he viewed as a now proven - and safe - technology.

G8 Leaders to Consider Biotech Crops to Reduce Hunger
04 July 2008 Truth about Trade & Technology
While biotechnology enhanced seeds are available right now in some developing countries, the science and technology ministers meeting in Okinawa last month recognized the need for developing countries to participate in the development of all types of technology to meet their specific needs.

Authors: Organic GM Crops Can Feed the World
04 July 2008 Capital Press
The authors advocate combining genetically engineered crops with organic growing practices as a means of feeding the world in a sustainable manner.

Biotechnology Firm Says State Anti-GMO Policy is 'Misguided'
03 July 2008 The Irish Times
Irish farmers should demand the right to choose GM seeds and products, said Monsanto business manager Patrick O'Reilly.

Interview: How Research Can Help Solve Global Food Crisis
03 July 2008 Euractiv
Riba said that "we must use GMOs when we are not able to develop new traits without this approach. If we can do with another way, we will do it the other way." While transgenesis is "not the panacea," it is a necessary tool as "we already know that some traits cannot be modified without it," he added.

BIO Applauds U.S. Adoption for GE Corn, Cotton, Soybeans
03 July 2008 BIO
American farmers have adopted genetically engineered (GE) crops widely since their introduction in 1996, especially corn, cotton and soybean varieties, according to a new USDA report.

Lugar Suggests Increase in Genetically Modified Seed Research
03 July 2008 Hoosier Ag Today
“An irrational opposition to gm crops and food by many European nations is literally starving people in Africa and other parts of the world."

Monsanto Company Completes Acquisition of Semillas Cristiani Burkard
02 July 2008 Monsanto
Monsanto Company announced that it has completed its proposed acquisition of Marmot, S.A., which operates Semillas Cristiani Burkard, a privately-held seed company headquartered in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Search for Salt Tolerant Grasses Aims to Improve Roadside Plantings
02 July 2008 University of Rhode Island
Her aim, with funding from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, was to identify a salt tolerance limit for native and ornamental turf grasses...

GM Cultivation Almost at 60 Million Hectares
01 July 2008 GMO Compass
Having risen by one percentage point, such soybeans now comprise 92 per cent of total soybean cultivation.

EU’s Stance on GM Feeds Blamed For Raising Costs
01 July 2008 Wales Online
Zero tolerance of genetically modified varieties is being blamed for restricting the flow of globally traded bulk commodities and adding to the rising price of raw materials.

Ethanol Byproduct Produces Green Results
01 July 2008 American Society for Horticultural Science
Researchers concluded that DDGS may be useful for reducing weed emergence and growth in container-grown ornamentals when applied to the soil surface at transplanting.

Farmers Must Change Irrigation Practices
01 July 2008 Cyprus Mail
People need to view the debate on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) more scientifically, said Boel. "The European public is not confident on GMOs, they have an emotional approach to them. But you know, 80 per cent of soybeans imported in the EU are GMO."

Strong Language
01 July 2008 Developments Magazine
So I'm a big GM guy and part of that is the notion that we can't allow Africans to have genetically modified foods, despite the fact that the science has come on a lot, that there are safeguards.