News

2013-06-20 |

Monsanto's Man Wins The World Food Prize

Ever heard of the World Food Prize? It's sometimes called the "Nobel Prize for food and agriculture," but it has struggled to get people's attention. Prize winners tend to be agricultural insiders, and many are scientists. Last year's laureate, for instance, was , a pioneer of water-saving "micro-irrigation."

This year, though, the World Food Prize is likely to get some publicity, some of it in the form of anger and protests. The prize will go to who played prominent roles in creating genetically engineered crops: Marc Van Montagu, Mary-Dell Chilton and Robert Fraley.

2013-06-19 |

A mother's concern about GMO foods

I am a mom with two young children living in Columbia Falls. I, like most moms, work hard to make good choices about the food I feed my family. But I am growing increasingly angry that corporate food giants are refusing to label just what is in the foods they are marketing to all of us, and rather heavily to children.

2013-06-18 |

Anti-GM potato trial in Belgium restarts while public debate intensifies

Today the trial against 11 activists who targeted a GM potatofield 2 years ago has seen a restart, following the heavy default sentence that was given on 12 February. The 11 activists were convicted to time in jail, for being part of a criminal gang (some with and some without probation), without any of their witnesses having been heard. Their participation to the non-violent action and debate on 29 May 2011 was thereby criminalised. This conviction poses a dangerous precedent for all forms of civil society action.

2013-06-17 |

WTO policy on GMO food fuels GM crop debate in Russia

Protests against genetically modified food grow in Russia after WTO ascension. Yet some scientists insist there are no large health risks. [...] Valery Glazko, who is in charge of Centre for Nanobiotechnology at the Russian State Agrarian University, says that thanks to GMO technology, we will finally be able to feed the world and a new generation of more intelligent people will appear. “If a pregnant woman is not getting enough food, then her haemoglobin levels will drop. Her baby will be born and have every chance of living a full life, but he or she will not be able to make decisions. The baby will adapt, but its brain will not develop in the correct manner,” he says. “GMO is our saviour.” [...] “Hunger is the flip side of terrorism. We are faced with a choice: cannibalism or GMO.”

2013-06-14 |

Monsanto eyes spring launch in South America for new patented GM soy seeds

Biotechnology company Monsanto Co. plans to debut its second-generation of genetically modified soybean seeds in its key South American market during the next growing season. [...] With the patents on its first-generation seeds set to expire next year, Monsanto is pinning its hopes on new seeds that combine glyphosate resistance with defenses against insects. Monsanto plans to sell just 200,000 bags of its new Roundup Ready 2 soybean seeds in the region for the upcoming 2012-13 season, but expects 60%-65% of South America’s soybean fields to be planted with the seeds within five years, Pablo Vaquero, vice president of Monsanto Argentina and director of corporate affairs for Southern Latin America, said in an interview Tuesday.

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