Each week, news articles are selected from the news that pertain to agriculture, food, biotechnology and related issues.

JAN 24, 2012 - Genetically Modified Food Safe, Animal Study Suggests - Science Daily
A three year feeding study has shown no adverse health effects in pigs fed genetically modified (GM) maize. The maize, which is a Bt-maize bred for its insect resistant properties, was sourced from Spain. MORE

JAN 24, 2012 - The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act - Organic Bytes
We are on the road to victory in California with coalition members, strategic allies, and key donors increasing their support all the time. We now have over 50 environmental, alternative health, and sustainable food organizations and businesses advocating for our cause. But, most importantly, we have over 1,500 dedicated CA volunteers trained and ready to hit the streets when signature gathering begins in February. You can go here to volunteer by gathering petition signatures in California. MORE

JAN 10, 2012 - UK’s Two Main Political Parties Back GMOs And The US Agenda - UK Progressive
Last week the Guardian announced that the two main political parties in the United Kingdom, Tories and Labour, were backing genetically modified food crops. MORE

JAN 10, 2012 - The next generation of GMOs could be especially dangerous - Grist
Did a recent scientific study just change the way we should think about the safety of genetically modified foods? According to Ari Levaux at the Atlantic, the answer is a resounding yes. MORE

DEC 28, 2011 - Pesticide Use in California Increases after Four-Year Decline - California Department of Pesticide Regulation News Release
Pesticide use in California rose in 2010 after declining for four consecutive years, according to data released today by the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). More than 173 million pounds of pesticides were reported applied statewide, an increase of nearly 15 million pounds – or 9.5 percent – from 2009. MORE

DEC 2, 2011 - Monsanto Corn May Be Failing to Kill Bugs, EPA Says - Bloomberg
Monsanto Co. (MON) corn that’s genetically engineered to kill insects may be losing its effectiveness against rootworms in four states, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said. MORE

NOV 28, 2011 - French ban on biotech Monsanto corn ruled illegal - Agrimoney
France's government vowed to investigate ways to maintain a ban on planting biotech Monsanto corn seed despite the curbs being ruled illegal - by both the country's own and European judges. MORE

NOV 23, 2011 - African Scientists, Media, Policymakers and the GMO Debate - Truth about Trade & Technology
The media in Africa was penultimate week awash with views, commentary and news expressing all shades of opinions on why the continent and countries such as Kenya should either go ahead or drop its ambition of popularising genetically modified organisms otherwise referred to as GMOs. MORE

NOV 21, 2011 - Biotech beets heat up discussion at USDA Hearing in Corvallis - KPLU
Sugar beet seed is a rare bright spot for struggling grass-seed farmers. Farmer John Reerslev of Junction City says the GMO product provides a safe way to control weeds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture held a hearing to consider the possible deregulation of biotech sugar beets, developed by agribusiness giant Monsanto. MORE

NOV 17, 2011 - USDA weighs biotech compensation plan - Capital Press
The USDA is floating the idea of creating a mechanism to compensate farmers harmed by cross-pollination from genetically engineered crops. MORE

NOV 15, 2011 - Who Will Dominate Ag in Ten Years? - Farm Futures
Last week I had the chance to meet with several BASF executives at the company’s headquarters in Ludwigshafen, Germany. MORE

OCT 28, 2011 - Cattle parasite vaccine offers hope to world's poorest farmers - BBSRC
A new approach to vaccinating cattle could help farmers worldwide, research suggests. Scientists funded by BBSRC have developed a technique using a harmless parasite – which lives in cows but has no effect on their health – to carry medicines into the animals' bloodstream. Researchers created the vaccine by inserting key genetic material from a vaccine into the parasite's DNA. The manipulated parasite is intended to be injected into cattle, where it would continue to thrive in their bloodstreams, releasing small amounts of vaccine slowly over time. MORE

OCT 25, 2011 - Approvals of GMOs in the European Union - EuropaBio
The European Union (EU) has a thorough and comprehensive system for the assessment and authorisation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) for import and processing, consumption as food or feed, and cultivation. MORE

OCT 20, 2011 - How Hemp Got High: Cannabis Genome Mapped - Science Daily
A team of Canadian researchers has sequenced the genome of Cannabis sativa, the plant that produces both industrial hemp and marijuana, and in the process revealed the genetic changes that led to the plant's drug-producing properties. MORE

OCT 19, 2011 - Biotech sector set to grow at 20% in near future - Hindu Business Line
India’s biotech sector is expected to grow at 20 per cent per annum in the near future, given the growing demand for biopharmaceuticals, biosimilars and vaccines. MORE

OCT 18, 2011 - Nanofoods - coming to a plate near you? - EU Observer
Chocolate that does not make you fat. Drinks designed by the press of a button. 'Meat' made from plant protein. Burgers that give you all the vitamins you need. MORE

OCT 13, 2011 - GM cotton genes found in wild species - SciDevNet
Genetically modified (GM) cotton genes have been found in wild populations for the first time, making it the third plant species - after Brassica and bentgrass - in which transgenes have established in the wild. MORE

OCT 12, 2011 - Monsanto, Dupont Seeds Won’t Solve Hunger, Howard Buffett Says - Bloomberg News
Howard Buffett said seeds made by Monsanto Co. (MON) and DuPont Co. shouldn’t be over-emphasized as a way to end hunger and develop farming in Africa, arguing that poor countries have needs that improved crop inputs won’t fix. MORE

OCT 12, 2011 - State Department: Biotech labeling would scare consumers - Des Moines Register
The Obama administration shows no sign of changing the government’s position on labeling of biotech foods despite a renewed effort by consumer advocacy groups and environmental organizations require manufacturers to disclose the use of genetically engineered ingredients. MORE

OCT 4, 2011 - Groups File Legal Petition With FDA Demanding Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods - Center for Food Safety
Today, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) announced its filing of a groundbreaking new legal petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demanding that the agency require the labeling of all food produced using genetic engineering. CFS prepared the legal action on behalf of the Just Label It campaign; a number of health, consumer, environmental, farming organizations, and food companies are also signatories. MORE

SEPT 29, 2011 - Judge sides with elevator against biotech crop - Capital Press
A major biotech seed developer won't be able to force a global grain elevator company to accept its genetically engineered crop. MORE

SEPT 23, 2011 - GM Wheat Trial Approved in UK by DEFRA - Seed Today
The United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DSFRA) has announced its approval for a new genetically-modified (GM) wheat trial to take place in 2012-13. MORE

SEPT 23, 2011 - New instances of severe rootworm damage to Bt corn reported - Southeast Farm Press
More incidences of severe corn rootworm injury to Bt corn have been observed in northwestern and north central Illinois, said University of Illinois Extension entomologist Mike Gray. MORE

SEPT 21, 2011 - $40 million project to revitalize Africa's orphaned crops announced - UC Davis Press Release
A visionary $40 million effort to boost Africa’s health and economic vitality by genetically sequencing and breeding some of the continent’s most important, but neglected, native crops was announced during the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York City by a consortium of international partners, including the University of California, Davis. MORE

SEPT 14, 2011 - Consumers willing to pay premium for healthier genetically modified foods: ISU study - Iowa State University
Consumers are eager to get their hands on, and teeth into, foods that are genetically modified to increase health benefits - and even pay more for the opportunity. A study by Iowa State University researcher Wallace Huffman shows that when consumers are presented with produce enhanced with consumer traits through intragenic means, they will pay significantly more than for plain produce. MORE

SEPT 8, 2011 - Harmonizing Biotech Regulations - Truth about Trade & Technology
When Syngenta received deregulation status from USDA for the Agrisure Viptera trait for seed corn in April 2010, it began preparing for commercial production by corn farmers across the U.S. in 2011. MORE

SEPT 7, 2011 - The Gates Foundation Uses Genetic Modification For Good - Fast Company
The Gates Foundation is bringing stronger, hardier versions of staple crops to the developing world. Do the good motives outweigh the issues with GM food? MORE

AUG 31, 2011 - GM wheat research in full flow - Farmers Weekly Interactive
After several years of being the forgotten crop in the global development of genetically modified crops, wheat is suddenly smack bang in the middle of most biotech programmes. MORE

AUG 25, 2011 - Breaking the Cycle on Food Shortages - Truth About Trade & Technology
The United States has survived its debt-ceiling showdown, but it just found an extra $17 million for famine relief in East Africa. This new commitment, announced earlier this month by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, boosts the amount of aid for Ethiopia, Somalia, and my country of Kenya to more than $580 million this year. MORE

AUG 24, 2011 - Severe root damage to Bt corn confirmed in northwestern Illinois - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Severe root damage observed in Bt corn in northwestern Illinois last week should alert growers to carefully consider 2012 seed selection choices, said Mike Gray, University of Illinois Extension entomologist. MORE

AUG 19, 2011 - Engineering Food for All - New York Times
Food prices are at record highs and the ranks of the hungry are swelling once again. A warming climate is beginning to nibble at crop yields worldwide. The United Nations predicts that there will be one to three billion more people to feed by midcentury. MORE

AUG 17, 2011 - From food to fuel, concerns grow about impact of GM corn - Brisbane Times (Australia)
United States farmers are growing the first corn plants genetically modified for the purpose of putting more ethanol in petrol tanks rather than producing more food. MORE

AUG 15, 2011 - AgBiotech and Combating Climate Change - University of California Blog
There is a growing concern about climate change and much of the worry pertains to the implications of climate change for food and agriculture. MORE

AUG 15, 2011 - Expert Perspective...Eat Your Fruits and Veggies and Don’t Fear the “Dirty” Rhetoric - Food Insight
Should you be worried about pesticide residues on specific fruits and vegetables? The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a U.S.-based environmental advocacy group, believes you should be, and has just released the latest version of its annual “Dirty Dozen” list, representing the 12 fruit and vegetable commodities alleged to contain the greatest relative levels of pesticides. Are such rankings validated by a careful examination of scientific evidence? Absolutely not. Should you continue to try to eat more fruits and vegetables? Absolutely! MORE

AUG 3, 2011 - Report: Agriculture and Agricultural Sciences Key to U.S. Economic Growth - Iowa State University Press Release
A new report makes the case that agriculture and agricultural sciences are poised to drive economic growth and job creation to new heights - with the essential research and extension support of land-grant universities like Iowa State University. MORE

AUG 3, 2011 - Africa modifies its stance on GM crops - Truth about Trade and Technology
Genetically modified food has always been a tough sell, but nowhere more so than Africa, where it is banned in all but a handful of countries. Now, this appears to be changing. With a famine declared once again in East Africa, Kenya has become only the fourth country on the continent to allow the full-scale importation and production of GM crops. MORE

JULY 27, 2011 - The Changing Roles of Beet and Corn Crops in the West - New West
Both corn and beets have been used to sweeten the billions of soft drinks Americans have consumed for decades. And both crops have shaped and been influenced by the politics, perceptions and changing technologies that have driven the sweetener market for decades. MORE

JULY 21, 2011 - Australia police raid Greenpeace over GM crop raid - Truth about Trade and Technology
Australian police raided on Thursday the Sydney headquarters of Greenpeace after activists from the environmental group broke into the country's top science agency to destroy a trial plot of genetically modified wheat. MORE

JULY 20, 2011 - Transgenic grass skirts regulators - Nature
When the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced this month that it did not have the authority to oversee a new variety of genetically modified (GM) Kentucky bluegrass, it exposed a serious weakness in the regulations governing GM crops. These are based not on a plant's GM nature but on the techniques used for its genetic modification. With changing technologies, the department says that it lacks the authority to regulate newly created transgenic crops. MORE

JULY 14, 2011 - To abolish hunger and malnutrition, Africa must embrace GM technology - Daily Nation
Once again, drought is menacing the Horn of Africa. Britain’s pledge this week to increase food aid for 1.3 million Ethiopians facing starvation to help them to reach the next harvest can be the only right response. MORE

JULY 10, 2011 - Genetically modified food labels don't sit well in U.S. - Los Angeles Times
An agreement that some consumer activists say opens the door for labeling probably won't have much effect in the U.S. Some scientists say that's a good thing. MORE

JULY 8, 2011 - Sugar beet yields could double in next 20 years - Farmers Guardian
While the yield potential of sugar beet crops could double by 2030, winter wheat will need a step change in breeding development if the yield potential of the crop is to rise sufficiently to meet the demands of the future. MORE

JULY 8, 2011 - Need for better wheat yields cited at congressional hearing - AgInfo
Most of the U.S. corn, soybean and cotton crops are comprised of biotech varieties, but not wheat. There is as yet no commercial modern biotech wheat and wheat yields have not improved at the same rate as those biotech crops. One obstacle has been the opposition to biotech wheat by some overseas buyers. MORE

JULY 8, 2011 - Invigorating plants - University of Cambridge
Understanding how plants "silence" invading viruses could hold the key to releasing their hidden potential. One of the key elements of the Green Revolution - when a series of agricultural initiatives dramatically boosted crop productivity worldwide - was the harnessing of hybrid vigour. This phenomenon occurs when the crossing of two inbred strains results in offspring with superior qualities. MORE

JULY 7, 2011 - GM fears and facts - American Council on Science and Health
In welcome news for the people of Kenya, a set of new laws will allow the production and importation of genetically modified (GM) crops. MORE

JULY 6, 2011 - In Major Shift, USDA Clears Way for Modified Bluegrass - New York Times
In a decision set to upturn the biotech industry and outrage its opponents, the Agriculture Department announced late last week that it does not consider a lawn grass genetically engineered to resist a weedkiller within its regulatory domain, ratifying a pathway for certain classes of bioengineered plants to bypass federal regulation. MORE

JUNE 24, 2011 - EU allows unapproved GM material in feed imports - Reuters
The European Union adopted new rules on Friday allowing traces of unapproved genetically modified (GM) material in animal feed imports, in a bid to secure grain fodder supplies to the import-dependent bloc. MORE

JUNE 24, 2011 -The promise of agricultural biotechnology - iPolitics (Canada)
From Calestous Juma’s testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Research, Biotechnology and Foreign Agriculture. MORE

JUNE 16, 2011 - Bentgrass eradication plan unveiled - Capital Press
Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. executives were surprised last fall to learn plant escapes from an Idaho field of transgenic bentgrass were found several miles away in irrigation canals south of Ontario, Ore. MORE

JUNE 15, 2011 - Help Bio-Designed Cassava Save the World - San Francisco Chronicle
The human population, now approaching 7 billion, may top 10 billion by 2100. Agronomists predict food shortages in our future, and it doesn't take an advanced degree to understand why. MORE

JUNE 9, 2011 - Greater spending on food output promoted - Des Moines Register
A group of agricultural policy experts assembled by biotech giant DuPont is calling for both the private sector and governments to invest more money in boosting food production in poor countries. MORE

JUNE 7, 2011 - California Ballot Initiative: What You Can Do Now - Organic Consumers Association
The California initiative movement is building exponentially. I've been on the road throughout the state, meeting some amazing folks who care deeply about this issue. Committed leaders have already come forward and are actively organizing their counties. Things are popping all over the place and should be exploding within the next few weeks. MORE

JUNE 3, 2011 - Study Reveals Future "Hotspots" of Risk for Hundreds of Millions Whose Food Problems are on a Collision Course with Climate Change - CGIAR
A new study has matched future climate change “hotspots” with regions already suffering chronic food problems to identify highly-vulnerable populations, chiefly in Africa and South Asia, but potentially in China and Latin America as well, where in fewer than 40 years, the prospect of shorter, hotter or drier growing seasons could imperil hundreds of millions of already-impoverished people. MORE

MAY 31, 2011 - EPA Proposal Would Exempt Some GMOs From Registry - Science Magazine
Many forest ecologists dream of restoring the once-great American chestnut tree to the Appalachian range. For decades, researchers have been trying to transfer the natural blight-resistance genes of the closely related Chinese chestnut by crossbreeding the two trees, with varying degrees of success. If the Chinese chestnut's resistance genes were known-and forest geneticist Charles Maynard at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Syracuse says his group is close to identifying a few-using existing transgenic techniques to transfer them directly into the American variety would be a welcome shortcut. (Vol. 332 no. 6030 p. 652). MORE

MAY 31, 2011 - Food prices will double by 2030, says Oxfam - Daily Mail (UK)
The prices of some staple foods will more than double by 2030 unless world leaders reform the global food system, Oxfam has warned. The aid charity warned that millions more people could suffer food shortages in two decades due to a 'perfect storm' of ecological and sociological factors. MORE

MAY 27, 2011 - Medicines from plants - Checkbiotech
Some people think of herbal teas, others of tobacco when they hear the buzzword ‚medicines from plants'. One research team succeeded in producing biopharmaceuticals - such as an antibody against HIV, for example, - in tobacco plants. MORE

MAY 26, 2011 - Deterrent law to check fake seeds proposed - The Times of India
The state government is contemplating to bring about a deterrent legislation to check manufacture and sale of spurious seeds. Fake seeds, especially of Bt cotton, are in much circulation and many gullible farmers get cheated and buy them as they come cheap. MORE

MAY 11, 2011 - Peru allows GM food imports - Living in Peru
The farmers came from organizations that together form the Parque de la Papa in Cusco, a farming community of 6,000 people that represent six communities. They worry the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will compromise the native species of Peru, including the giant white corn, purple corn and, of course, the potato. MORE

MAY 10, 2011 - California Assembly votes to label GM fish - Food Navigator
Genetically modified fish in California would have to be labeled as such according to a bill approved by the California Assembly Health Committee last week. MORE

MAY 5, 2011 - Plant to Deliver Nutritionally Enhanced Sorghum to Africa - Checkbiotech
ST. LOUIS and DES MOINES, Iowa - The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and DuPont announced a $4 million grant from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to bring healthier sorghum to underserved communities in Africa. MORE

MAY 3, 2011 - Co-Existence Can Work For Alfalfa Growers - Hay and Forage Grower
Hay growers can grow organic, conventional and Roundup Ready alfalfa in co-existence without fear of contamination, says Don Cameron, who manages Terranova Ranch, Helm, CA. MORE

APR 20, 2011 - What will happen when biotech crop patents expire? - South East Farm Press
As biotech patents expire and regulatory approvals for overseas markets become uncertain, a significant question exists as to whether farmers will continue to have access to these markets. The patent expiration of the first generation of RR soybean trait in 2014 will be the first time that a major biotech trait will become potentially subject to competition with generic traits. MORE

APR 20, 2011 - Vitamin A enriched rice in five years to defeat deficiency - All Headline News
Agriculture scientists in Bangladesh have plans to develop a genetically-engineered variety of rice enriched with Vitamin A in five years. A genetically modified variety called Golden Rice, developed in Europe, will go through greenhouse and field tests before advancing into the production phase of cultivation and harvest. MORE

APR 20, 2011 - Prenatal pesticide exposure tied to lower IQ in children - The Berkeleyan
In a new study suggesting pesticides may be associated with the health and development of children, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Public Health have found that prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides – widely used on food crops – is related to lower intelligence scores at age 7. MORE

APR 19, 2011 - GM crops to be allowed into Britain under controversial EU plans - Checkbiotech.org
Genetically modified crops will be allowed to enter the UK food chain without the need for regulatory clearance for the first time under controversial plans expected to be approved this week. The Observer understands that the UK intends to back EU plans permitting the importing of animal feed containing traces of unauthorised GM crops in a move that has alarmed environmental groups. MORE

APR 13, 2011 - New seed corn technology comes with risks, entomologist says - Purdue University News Release
Bags of corn seed that mix genetically modified hybrids with and without Bt toxins that kill insects provide farmers easier compliance with federal regulations but could, over time, hasten insect resistance to Bt, a Purdue University entomologist said. MORE

APR 4, 2011 - Biotech: Is Organic GM the Answer? - American Institute for Public Policy Research
Consider these unlikely matches: Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn; Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller; Felix Unger and Oscar Madison. Odd, all of them. But for dedicated greenies, nothing creates cognitive dissonance like the marriage of love and policy between Raoul Adamchak and Pamela Ronald. MORE

APR 1, 2011 - Scientists question claims in biotech letter - Forbes
The widespread Internet posting of a letter by a retired Purdue University researcher who says he has linked genetically modified corn and soybeans to crop diseases and abortions and infertility in livestock has raised concern among scientists that the public will believe his unsupported claim is true. MORE

MAR 31, 2011 - Biotech Alfalfa Puts Spotlight on Coexistence - Food Safety News
Call him the "co-existence kid," if you will. He won't mind. In fact, he readily dubs himself "a poster child for co-existence." He's Don Cameron, manager of Terranova Ranch, a nearly 5,500-acre farm near Fresno, CA. As manager, he oversees the production of a wide swath of conventional, organic and biotech crops, among them tomatoes, alfalfa, carrots, corn, vegetable-seeds, cotton, grains, and garlic. He's been at it for years. MORE

MAR 29, 2011 - The surprisingly complex debate over whether Genetically Modified foods should be labeled - Hartford Advocate
A proposal would require labels for genetically modified food. Letting Connecticut consumers know if the food they're buying has been genetically modified seems like an innocent enough idea. After all, U.S. government experts say it's safe, the agri-industrial giants say it's safe, and so do the food manufacturing conglomerates. MORE

MAR 25, 2011 - China to host first pigs for animal-to-human organ transplants - People's Daily Online
The first batch of genetically modified (GM) pigs will be born in the second half of 2011. These pigs are expected to provide suitable organs for transplant into human bodies and to ease the nation's shortage of transplant organs, genetic engineering experts in eastern China's Nanjing recently announced. MORE

MAR 23, 2011 - Is Europe's ban on Monsanto's GMO crops illegal? - Red Green and Blue
Monsanto got a big boost in Europe yesterday when an official ruled that the European Union’s constituent countries couldn’t independently ban genetically modified crops (GMOs) on their turf. France and five other EU countries have put a blanket ban on GMOs, citing safety concerns. MORE

MAR 17, 2011 - New attempt to make progress on GM crops - Science Business
The European Commission is launching a public relations offensive to try and shift opinions on the cultivation of genetically modified crops in Europe. MORE

MAR 17, 2011 - Can we coexist? - Biofortified
With religious wars around the world erupting almost constantly, you might be feeling grateful that you live in a country where there is separation of church and state. But dont rest too easy, another conflict is brewing- this time in agriculture. MORE

MAR 9, 2011 - Mexico approves GM maize pilot project - Mother Nature Network
Mexico has approved its first pilot project to grow genetically-modified maize, a move expected to draw fire from environmental groups who fear its impact on treasured local corn. MORE

MAR 7, 2011 - EC proposes shift away from zero tolerance on biotech imports - International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development
The European Commission (EC) has endorsed an end to the policy of “zero tolerance” on genetically modified (GM) material in animal feed imports. If both the European Parliament and Council do not oppose the move, the threshold for unapproved GM material in imports for animal foodstuffs would be raised from 0 to .1 percent by summertime. MORE

FEB 25, 2011 - EU, Greenpeace row over safety of GM food - Mail & Guardian
The European Union Commission stressed on Thursday that health and environmental factors were foremost in approving genetically modified foodstuffs, while protesting farmers and environmentalists called for an outright ban. MORE

FEB 25, 2011 - Monsanto Wins Reversal of Order to Destroy Sugar Beet Plants - Bloomberg
Monsanto Co. and the U.S. Agriculture Department won reversal of a judge’s order to destroy genetically modified sugar beet seedlings planted last year, a federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled today. A three-judge panel, ruling in a lawsuit filed by environmental and organic seed groups over sugar beet plants modified to withstand Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, said the groups hadn’t shown that the seedlings were likely to contaminate natural sugar beet plants. MORE

FEB 22, 2011 - USDA gives green light to amylase corn production - Farm & Ranch
There has been a flurry of activity during the past three weeks at the USDA on issuing regulations for genetically engineered crops. The latest action involved the deregulation of alpha-amylase corn, which is genetically engineered to produce an enzyme that breaks down starch into sugar, which improves ethanol production. Earlier the agency had given approval, to varying degrees, to Roundup Ready alfalfa and sugarbeets. MORE

FEB 22, 2011 - More of world's crops are genetically engineered - USA Today
The amount of land devoted to genetically engineered crops grew 10% last year, and 7% in the year before, as farmers in major grain and soy exporting countries such as Brazil and Argentina continued to adopt the new seeds. These so-called biotech crops, often bred with genes that allow them to tolerate weed killers or generate their own insecticides, now cover 10% of the world's farmland, up from nothing just 15 years ago. MORE

FEB 17, 2011 - Malaysia releases transgenic mosquitoes in controversial dengue study - TropIKA
A study involving the release of transgenic mosquitoes to combat dengue fever has taken place in Malaysia. This follows reports (see TropIKA.net) that the release had been postponed, in response to protests made by a number of environmental non-government organizations (NGOs). MORE

FEB 16, 2011 - The Genetically Modified Alfalfa Scare: Don't Panic - The Atlantic
The USDA's recent decision to (re)deregulate genetically modified (GM) alfalfa has sent a shock wave of panic through the organic foods industry. Samuel Fromartz explained to Food Channel readers how "the move has been opposed by organic farmers and consumers because of the strong possibility that genetically modified alfalfa will cross-pollinate non-GM alfalfa." In essence, organic growers (who produce between .5 and 1 percent of the nation's alfalfa) could have their product contaminated by gene flow from genetically modified seed and, as a result, have their hard-earned organic designation undermined. Of course, this seems terribly unfair. MORE

FEB 14, 2011 - Monsanto blocks research on GMO safety, harasses scientists - Eat Drink Better
Monsanto has been systematically blocking researchers from using its patented gene modified (GMO) seeds to learn if there are problems with them, according to an explosive op-ed in yesterday’s LA Times by Doug Gurian-Sherman of the Union of Concerned Scientists. MORE

FEB 9, 2011 - Bill would add more scrutiny to approval process of new genetically modified seeds - The Globe and Mail
The future of genetically modified crops in Canada is in question as Ottawa prepares to vote on whether to add a new layer of scrutiny to the approvals process. MORE

FEB 9, 2011 - Honey Made Near Monsanto GM Maize May Face EU Limits - Bloomberg News
Beekeepers with hives close to fields cultivating genetically modified crops can’t sell honey in the European Union without regulatory approval, an adviser to the EU’s highest court said. MORE

FEB 4, 2011 - USDA Announces Partial Deregulation for Roundup Ready Sugar Beets - USDA News Release
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2011 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing its decision on the petition to partially deregulate sugar beets that have been genetically engineered to be resistant to the herbicide commonly known as Roundup®. MORE

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