News

2013-01-14 |

Paraguay’s GE soy agriculture a good bet for investors says Monsanto

Soybean output in No. 4 global exporter Paraguay could hit a record 8.6 million tonnes this season, beating private and official forecasts, if good weather holds over the weeks ahead, seed behemoth Monsanto said on Friday. [...] ”Paraguay has not been affected by the floods but we have had plenty of rain,” Monsanto's manager for Paraguay, Fernando Giannoni, told Reuters in a telephone interview. [...] Paraguay's soy area has expanded by about 6 percent a year since 2001, Giannoni said, as cattle ranchers move out of prime farmlands to make way for industrialized production. This season's soy area is estimated by Monsanto at 2.8 million hectares, or 6.9 million acres. Despite grumbling from growers who have resisted paying Monsanto royalties for genetically modified Roundup Ready soy seeds, Giannoni said Paraguay is a good bet for investors as parties across the political spectrum want to improve output.

2013-01-10 |

Two-thirds of British consumers say GM food labelling is important

Two-thirds of the British public say it is “important” that genetically modified ingredients are labelled on food, according to a survey published on Wednesday by the government’s Food Standards Agency, despite only a tiny number saying they look for GM information on labels. The findings, drawn from interviews with 1,467 people for a report by the food watchdog on GM labelling, will be a “major blow” to the government’s bid to win public acceptance for GM crops and food, anti-GM campaigners said. The environment secretary, Owen Paterson, last week told a farming conference: “we should not be afraid of making the case to the public about the potential benefits of GM.”

2013-01-09 |

South Australia will not review its GM crop ban

SOUTH Australia has stared down the Federal Government over its ban on genetically modified crops. The Federal Government had asked states with GM moratoria which had not reviewed their positions within the past three years to do so by the end of 2014. State Agriculture Minister Gail Gago has defiantly turned down the request.
“I have written to the Federal Government and told them that we will not be doing this,” Ms Gago said. “South Australia’s glean green food bowl gives us a competitive edge in the market. “Our non-GM crops attract greater market prices and the exceptional quality of SA’s food bowl is synonymous with the state.

2013-01-09 |

Battle over biotech crops to continue in Colorado (USA)

Several Colorado agricultural groups are on high alert for the possible introduction of new legislation targeting genetically modified crops this year. Becky Brooks, state lobbyist for the Colorado Corn Growers Association, reported at the Colorado Ag Classic that she has heard “rumblings” about a statewide push for some type of GMO initiative. 
”There’s a chance it could be coming up in Colorado this year,” added Jules Van Thuyne, a Longmont farmer who farms land held in a conservation easement managed by Boulder County. “Nobody’s exempt. Every county along the Front Range has an open space program. It could very easily become a state issue.” 
According to news reports, 30 states around the country are now working on legislation relating to labeling of genetically modified crops. New Mexico, Washington, Oregon and Vermont are likely to see new initiatives pop up this year.
Debate over use of the technology, which represents progress to some and a source of concern to others, isn’t likely to end any time soon.

2013-01-07 |

Azerbaijan creates control system for GMO production

In December a decision made by the Cabinet of Ministers, has approved the rules for determining the possible dangers posed by genetically modified plants for consumers and the environment in Azerbaijan. These rules in particular provide the establishment of the Expert Group of the Scientific and Technical Council, who will determine the direction of research into the possible harm of the genetically modified organisms. Azerbaijan plans to establish a control system to clarify how dangerous the GMO products are that currently can be found on the markets of human food and animal feed.

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