News

2012-11-22 |

Saanich Council (British Colombia, Canada) bans use of genetically modified seeds

Saanich council took a united stance Monday night in opposing the use of genetically modified seed crops in the municipality. [...] “The councillors are not trained in the science, and they do not have the ability to differentiate between science and the pseudo-science,” said Robert Wager, who teaches at Vancouver Island University and has a background in biochemistry and molecular biology. [...] He says genetically modified crops that are drought and frost tolerant, and resistant to viruses and fungal infections. “There is so much research out there that rebuts any of the pseudo-scientific information (that informed council’s decision),” Wager said. [...] Council supported the motion 9-0 to oppose genetically modified seeds crops and write letters encouraging mandatory GMO labelling.

2012-11-16 |

The great Mexican maize massacre

Agribusiness giants Monsanto, DuPont and Dow are plotting the boldest coup of a global food crop in history. If their requests to allow a massive commercial planting of genetically modified maize are approved in the next two weeks by the government of outgoing president Felipe Calderón, this parting gift to the gene giants will amount to a knife in the heart of the center of origin and diversity for maize. The consequences will be grave – and global. With the approvals and December planting deadlines looming, social movements and civil society organizations have called for an end to all GM maize in Mexico. Mexico’s Union of Concerned Scientists (UCCS) has called on the Mexican government to stop the processing of any application for open-field release of GM maize in Mexico.

2012-11-15 |

Peru approves 10-year moratorium on GE crop import and production

Peruvian Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar Vidal announced yesterday that the government has approved a new regulation that imposes a moratorium on the production and entry of genetically-modified organisms, also known as transgenics, into the country for the next ten years. [...] Vidal called the measure a “demonstration of the government’s commitment to preserve the biodiversity of native crops”. [...] “The existing law and now this regulation establish a moratorium of ten years, and this means that we must use this period to efficiently and effectively strengthen our own capacity and our scientific capacity in biotechnological processes regarding our natural resources”, Vidal said.

2012-11-09 |

Genetically modified crops threaten Costa Rican agriculture

On Tuesday the 6th of November at 12:30 p.m., the first public signatures against Monsanto’s Genetically Modified corn seeds in Costa Rica will be delivered to the State Phytosanitary Service, a division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock [...] Environmental organizations have formed a coalition against the planting of transgenic corn seeds in Costa Rica and will be taking direct action that day in order to protest the introduction of this crop into the country. [...] If the requests are approved, the companies would be allowed to plant 35 hectares of GM corn in Costa Rica.

2012-11-07 |

Greenpeace warns against authorising cultivation of new GM crops in the EU

Environmental activists have warned the European Commission against authorising the cultivation of new genetically modified crops in the EU, which could increase herbicide use by up to 15 times. According to a report commissioned by Greenpeace from agricultural economist Dr Charles Benbrook, the introduction of herbicide tolerant GM crops “would lead to substantial increases in the use of glyphosate and other pesticides, sharp increases in seed prices and the spread of corporate domination of food production”. The paper, published on 7 November, predicts increases of over 800% – up to 1,500% in the case of GM soy – in the use of glyphosate in the EU over 14 years (2012-2025) for herbicide-tolerant GM maize, soy and sugar beet.

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