GMO Watch

Study Finds Monsanto's GMO Corn Causes Organ Damage in Mammals.

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:18:59 +0100

A breakthrough report from the International Journal of Biological Sciences has found that three separate kinds of Monsanto's genetically modified corn causes organ damage in rats. Twilight Earth writes: "In what is being described as the first ever and most comprehensive study of the effects of genetically modified foods on mammalian health, researchers have linked organ damage with consumption of Monsanto's GM maize." All three of these kinds of corn have been approved by numerous food safety boards, and are widely available in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere. Links after the jump.

Greenpeace finds illegal GM maize in Rotterdam.

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:18:00 +0100

According to the environmental organisation Greenpeace (press release in German), GM maize that has not been approved in Europe has been imported to the EU. The maize, intended for animal feed, was found in a US shipment to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Greenpeace analysed samples of conventional maize gluten from a ship unloading US maize. These samples contained 2.4 percent of the GM maize Herculex 59122. This maize is deregulated in the USA, but European approval is still pending and therefore imports of Herculex 59122 into the EU currently remain illegal. The European Commission has asked Dutch authorities to track down the maize shipment...

Greece bans 16 new GM maize varieties.

Fri, 11 May 2007 13:16:15 +0200

Although all GM maize varieties have been approved for cultivation in the EU, the Greek government raised its total of maize bans to 47 on April 13th by disallowing 16 additional genetically modified maize varieties. This action is based on claims that scientific research raises doubts about the crops' biosafety and that this research had not been considered when the crops received EU approval. By applying the precautionary principle, Greece thus has prohibited once more the planting of any GM crops, despite their approval for commercial cultivation in the EU...

EU Parliament nixes GMOs in organic foods.

Fri, 11 May 2007 13:16:03 +0200

The Members of the European Parliament has voted on a proposal for a regulation on organic products and stated in an amendment: "Organic farming principles, objectives and rules exclude the use and the presence of GMO in all organic processes and products. It is therefore important to adopt national and EU legislation which guarantees that contamination with GMOs does not take place." Consumer groups and environmental organisations have welcomed the statement and have interpreted it as a call for the lowest possible thresholds for GMOs in organic products. In contrast, the European Commission favours a common threshold for conventional and organic foods of 0.9 percent GMO...

Global ban on terminator seeds upheld.

Fri, 11 May 2007 13:15:53 +0200

Canada's continued efforts to undermine and eventually eliminate the ban on so-called terminator seed technology has suffered a severe setback. Terminator technology refers to seed genetically modified to produce sterile seeds that cannot be planted, thus leaving farmers with no choice but to buy the next year's seeds from genetic engineering companies. The setback took place at a meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Curitiba, Brazil. The Brazilian government, chairing the meeting, announced that the 188 member governments of the CBD agreed to reject language that would have undermined the six-year-old moratorium on terminator seeds. Promoters, including Canada, have called for a "case by case risk assessment" of terminator seeds, with the intention of allowing the technology to be approved through existing legislation for genetically modified crops...

German study recommends 20 meters buffer zone.

Fri, 11 May 2007 13:14:37 +0200

A pollen barrier of 20 meters of conventional maize is enough to separate GM and conventional maize fields and to keep out-crossings below 0.9 percent. This is the result from a coexistence study published in the most recent issue of Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science. Are they out of their minds? Have they never seen a dandelion seed fly through the air?...

French scientists: GM maize could kill you.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:16:36 +0200

In a new study funded by Greenpeace, a group of French scientists has raised doubts again about the food safety of the genetically modified maize MON863, which is resistant to the corn root worm and has been approved for cultivation in North America and for food and feed in the EU and several other countries. Monsanto, the company responsible for the maize in question, not surprisingly contested the findings...

The big four: Soy, maize, cotton and rapeseed.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:15:52 +0200

Soy, maize, cotton, and rapeseed account for almost all commercial GMO production. In the United States, GM papaya and GM sugar beet can also be found. Genetically modified cultivars of potatoes and tomatoes were once grown commercially but are no longer produced due to a lack of consumer acceptance...

Aussie GM peas caused immune response in mice.

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:15:05 +0100

In late 2005, a private research institute in Australia, CSIRO Plant Industry, put a halt on the further development of a genetically modified pea cultivar responsible for causing an immune response in laboratory mice. Opposing sides of the public debate have taken these findings in conflicting directions. Some say the Australian findings confirm the effectiveness of screening processes, while for others, the results only prove that genetically modified plants are too unpredictable to reckon with.

GM soy milk dangerous to babies?

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:14:29 +0200

Dr. Irina Ermakova of the Russian Academy of Sciences recently released a study reporting higher mortality rates and lower body weight among young rats whose mothers were fed a diet of herbicide resistant, genetically modified soybeans...

European survey: Biotechnology yes, GMOs no.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:13:09 +0200

Acceptance of biotechnology among Europeans is rising. GM foods, on the other hand, leave most Europeans sceptical. Unconvinced of the technology’s benefits, most respondents in this survey expressed moral objections and concerns about potential risks...

Labeled GM food hard to find.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:12:02 +0200

The newly extended EU directive for labelling genetically modified foods has been in effect since April 2004. However, very little has changed. Labeling requirements were broadened significantly, but consumers nonetheless rarely find labels indicating the use of genetic engineering...

Trust the GM labeling? Don't be too sure.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:11:50 +0200

Not all applications of genetic engineering oblige the manufacturers to label the ingredients on the end product. For instance, food produced with the aid of genetically modified organisms does not have to be labeled...

Green foods not guaranteed to be GMO free.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:04:46 +0200

In the production of ecological goods, the use of genetically modified organisms is prohibited. However, this does not mean that these goods are free from gene technology...

102 million hectares of GM plants.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:04:02 +0200

Yesterday, the new statistics of worldwide cultivation of genetically modified plants were published. In 2006, 102 million hectares of GM plants were cultivated - an increase of 12 million hectares compared with the year before...

New releases of GM material into the environment.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:03:11 +0200

Monsanto are releasing an insect-protected maize line MON 863 and maize hybrid MON 863 x MON 810 on the German market. Mycogen Seeds/Pioneer Hi-Bred are releasing a Lepidopteran resistant and glufosinate tolerant 1507 Maize into The Netherlands. Monsanto are also relesing a Roundup Ready (glyphosate tolerant) oilseed rape, event GT73 into The Netherlands and a Roundup Ready (glyphosate tolerant) maize, event NK603 into Spain...

More GMO in France and the Czech Republic.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:02:15 +0200

See the latest numbers on 2006 GM crop production in Spain, France, and the Czech Republic...

BASF calls off potato testing in Ireland.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:01:19 +0200

At the last minute, the German chemical company BASF called off its planned 4 year field trial of GM potatoes in Meath Co., Ireland. The Irish Environmental Protection Agency had authorised the planting, but the terms of agreement held BASF to a list of strict conditions. The company cited the stringent conditions and a tight time-frame as reasons for abandoning the tests...

GM barley field trials in Germany.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 19:59:56 +0200

Transgenic cereals aren't yet being grown commercially, but a number of field tests are suggesting potential. Biosafety tests in Germany with GM barely resistant to fungus and with improved brewing properties are now underway...

Greenpeace can't show GE sites on Google Map.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:17:17 +0200

A French court has ordered Greenpeace France to take down a web page with a Google Map that shows locations of commercial, genetically engineered corn fields in France. Greenpeace argues the online maps should not be censored because an EU law requires the French government to make the crop site information public anyway. Greenpeace responded by carving a giant 'X' crop circle into one of the genetically engineered corn fields the courts say can no longer be Google-mapped. Greenpeace France will likely appeal the censorship order, and Greenpeace International is now hosting the offending map from servers in Amsterdam...

Chowing down on genetically engineered food?

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:17:11 +0200

If you live in the US or Canada, chances are that is a yes. What exactly does it do to you? Now there's the gray area... The most recent country to say no to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is Venezuela. Thanks to President Hugo Chavez Frias, these crops won't be growing on Venezuelan soil. Recently, varying degrees of these bans have been sprouting up all over the place, from California (more here and here) to European countries including Switzerland and Greece. Do they work? Well, the problem is regulation — and pressure from the US, Argentina, and Canada, according to a recent New York Times article. Effective this year, despite the bans, members of the European Union are required to keep their doors open to GMOs...

Potatoes with Cholera bacteria in Germany.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:17:05 +0200

Development of GM plants to produce pharmaceuticals is increasing in Europe. This year an outdoor site in Germany may be used to test GM potatoes expressing a therapeutic protein from the Cholera bacterium...

GM barley soon in a beer near you?

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:16:59 +0200

Genetically modified cereals aren't (yet) being grown commercially in Europe, but a number of field tests are suggesting potential. Biosafety tests in Germany with GM barley are now underway...

Here's how much GMO they grow.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:16:53 +0200

The numbers on 2006 GM crop production in Spain, France, and the Czech Republic reveal that Bt maize production is expanding in Europe, with France and the Czech Republic in the lead. In France, the area planted with GM maize this year is five times that of last year. This strain of maize is also commercially grown in Germany and Portugal...

Slovakia OKs GMO trials against public opinion.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:16:47 +0200

In late April 2006, the Slovak government authorized Monsanto to carry out field trials with genetically modified maize at three secret locations. Slovakia has never had an explicit ban on GMOs, but this is the first time GM seeds have ever been sown in Slovakia. Public opinion in Slovakia is concerned about GMOs, and about half of the population believe GMOs are dangerous to human health...