News

2012-09-05 |

US university confirms it used Chinese children in Golden Rice feeding trial

AN American university confirmed yesterday that it had used Chinese children as guinea pigs in a trial of a new type of genetically modified rice. The announcement, by Tufts University in Massachusetts, followed a denial by authorities in China's central province of Hunan that such a study had taken place. However, university spokeswoman Andrea Grossman told The China Press, a US-based newspaper, that it conducted the study in rural areas in Hunan with the aim of finding a solution to a serious health problem affecting developing countries.

2012-09-03 |

Chinese children used in US-backed GE food trial with Golden Rice

How would you feel if I told you that a group of scientists had come to the United States, and fed a group of 24 children aged between six and eight years of age a potentially dangerous product that had yet to be tested on animals? What if I told you that state authorities had come out publically with clear directives against this very experiment, and yet the experiment had continued regardless? You'd be pretty outraged, right? Well, this is what we believe is happening, EXCEPT that it is happening on Chinese soil and on Chinese children (and I hope you've managed to maintain that outrage.)

2012-09-03 |

Brazilian court orders food companies to label GM food

While the battle against Genetically Modified food labeling rages on in the U.S. a definitive stand has been taken by Brazil. A court in Brazil has ruled that Nestle label all of its products with over 1 percent GMO. This ruling came about after Nestle's strawberry flavoured Bono Cookies were found to have transgenic material. In concordance with Brazilian law, all food manufacturers will now have to let the consumers know about the food products containing GM organism, reports GM Watch. The cookies were found to contain genetically modified soy. All food products containing GM content will now have to have a label: a yellow triangle with 'T' in the middle. This will be accompanied by the word ”transgenic” to indicate that the food is genetically modified.

2012-09-03 |

Irish GM potato trials face legal challenge

THE FIRST steps were taken yesterday in a legal challenge to a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to allow genetically modified potato trials in Co Carlow. A group of environmentalists and organic producers sought, but were refused, a High Court order allowing them to legally challenge the Teagasc trial without facing the possibility of having to pay “prohibitively expensive” costs if they lost their case. The application was made by Co Kildare farmer Percy Podger on behalf of a group that included Green Party councillors Malcolm Noonan and Danny Forde and eight other organic producers and environmentalists.

2012-08-23 |

Argentina: Historic Court Ruling on Illegal Pesticide Use

Demonstrations in Córdoba against pesticide use Demonstrations in Córdoba against pesticide use (Photo: juicioalafumigacion.com.ar)

In the first case of its kind in Argentina, the poisoning of people through the use of pesticides has been punished. Soya farmer, Francisco Parra, and pilot of pesticide-spraying aircrafts, Edgardo Pancello, were yesterday convicted of polluting the neighbourhood of Ituzaingó Anexo with glyphosate and endosulfan. Both were given conditional sentences of three years, along with community service. A third defendant, also a soy producer, was acquitted due to lack of evidence. In 2001, a group of community activists known as the Mothers of Ituzaingó started to document the high number of miscarriages, infant deaths and illnesses in the area. According to the public attorney, 169 of the 5,000 inhabitants of Ituzaingó Anexo died from cancer between 2002 and 2010. Following the verdict, one of the claimants, environmental activist Sofía Gatica, whose baby daughter died of kidney failure shortly after birth said “It is a historic sentence, but the fact that it is only a conditional verdict is a slap into the face for the victims.” Gatica was awarded the ‘Goldman Environmental Prize’ for her courage in the ten-year battle against pesticides earlier this year. In Argentina, 370 million litres of pesticides are used every year, especially on the soy fields where animal feed for Europe’s meat industry is produced. In September, Sofìa Gatica and Maria del Milagro Godoy will talk about their experiences at the GMO Free Europe Conference, as well as at different events taking place as part of a speakers tour across Europe.

Go to page: ← ... 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 ... →