News

2015-01-13 | permalink

EU Parliament backs GMO opt-out for EU member states

PLENARY SESSION Press release - Environment − 13-01-2015 - 13:24

New legislation to allow EU member states to restrict or ban the cultivation of crops containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on their own territory, even if this is allowed at EU level, was passed by MEPs on Tuesday. The legislation, informally agreed by Parliament and Council in December, was originally tabled in 2010 but was then deadlocked for four years due to disagreement between pro- and anti-GMO member states.

"This agreement will ensure more flexibility for member states who wish to restrict the cultivation of the GMOs in their territory. It will, moreover, signpost a debate which is far from over between pro- and anti-GMO positions” said Frédérique Ries (ALDE, BE), who is steering the legislation through Parliament.

“As to what comes next, I place my trust in Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's formal pledge to strengthen the democratic process on GMOs in Europe and ensure that research is genuinely independent", she added. The agreement negotiated with EU ministers was approved by 480 votes to 159, with 58 abstentions.

2015-01-12 | permalink

Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan calls on MEPs to vote against GMO report

Vote on GMO opt-out for EU member states
New legislation to allow EU member states to restrict or ban the cultivation of crops containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on their own territory, even if this is allowed at EU level, will be put to a vote on Tuesday. The plans, informally agreed by Parliament and Council in December, were originally tabled in 2010 but were then deadlocked for four years due to disagreement between pro and anti-GMO member states.
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Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan has today called on her fellow Irish MEPs to reject next Tuesday's vote on GMOs.

"When the EU Council and the Parliament concluded their negotiations before Christmas, the final text was drastically diluted and in my opinion leaves legal loopholes available for biotech companies to exploit to take countries to court.

The controversial Phase 1 albeit improved has been reinserted and the Parliament's preferred Environmental legal basis for the legislation was changed to EU Internal Market law which undermines using environmental grounds for banning GM crops." said the Sinn Féin MEP

“I am calling on my fellow MEPs and particularly my Irish colleagues to vote against this report on Tuesday. It is a flawed report and does not offer countries watertight legislation to ban GM crops on their soil, it will instead, in my opinion open the flood gates to GM crops despite strong public resistance to them” added Ms Boylan.

2015-01-09 | permalink

South American farmers cut back on planting genetically modified corn

Monsanto’s earnings drop 34% in first quarter
Profit of $243 million reported, down from $368 million
By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

As a result of record harvests in soybeans and corn that sent prices for the crops plummeting, farmers from South America and beyond reduced their need for corn seeds from Monsanto, dropping the company’s earnings by 34%.

They said corn acres dropped by about 20% in Argentina, 10% in Brazil, and their cotton planning in Australia saw reductions.

Their profits went from $368 million, trading for about 69¢ per share, to $243 million, or 50¢ per share.

2015-01-07 | permalink

Anti-GMO measure qualifies for May ballot in Benton County

Voters in the May election will be asked to determine the future of genetically engineered crops in Benton County.

An initiative that would ban the planting of genetically modified organisms or patented seeds has qualified for the May 19 ballot.

Backers of the anti-GMO ballot measure, known as the Local Food System Ordinance, turned in initiative petitions with more than 3,000 signatures last month, and Elections Supervisor Jeff Doty has ruled that 2,658 were valid.

Under state election law, supporters needed the signatures of at least 2,171 Benton County voters, or 6 percent of the number who cast a ballot in the last gubernatorial election, Doty said. He added that the measure would be assigned a number on Friday.

2015-01-06 | permalink

Monarch butterfly numbers down by 90% in 20 years - largely as a result of GMO crops

Monarchs may win 'endangered species' protection (The Ecologist)
With Monarch butterfly numbers down by 90% in 20 years - largely as a result of GMO crops in key feeding areas - the US Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing the insect's status with a view to granting it legal protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Endangered Species Act protection may be warranted for Monarch butterflies, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency will now conduct a one-year status review on monarchs, which have declined by 90% in the past 20 years. The migratory butterflies are especially vulnerable as they migrate vast distances of 3,000 miles or more each year, between the US, Mexico and Canada. The migration cycle is unique in the natural world as it spans multiple generations. "This journey has become more perilous for many monarchs because of threats along their migratory paths and on their breeding and wintering grounds", says the FWS.