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Nakuru, 15th October, 2015: This World Food Day, all roads lead to the magnificent Nakuru County in Kenya’s rift valley region; where a demonstration and a public debate have been organised to challenge the push for the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Kenya.

The Kenya Biodiversity Coalition (KBioC) together with Greenpeace Africa, Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN) and the Institute for Culture and Ecology (ICE) are joining the rest of the world to celebrate and address critical issues and concerns around the Right to food. Through the demonstration, the organisations aim to call on the Government of Kenya (GOK) not to lift the ban on GMOs. The demonstration will be followed by a public forum which will debate whether Nakuru is ready for GMOs.

Greenpeace Press release - October 12, 2015

Brussels – Agrochemical company Syngenta has withdrawn two out of four of its GM maizes awaiting EU approval [1], following widespread rejection of GM crop cultivation by two thirds of EU governments. According to the European Commission, on 8 October, Syngenta withdrew pesticide-producing MIR 604 and pesticide-producing and herbicide-resistant Bt11xMIR604xGA21. Two other Syngenta GM maizes have not been withdrawn and are still pending approval. They are herbicide-resistant GA21 and pesticide-producing and herbicide-resistant Bt11.

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Vilmorin, KWS license Syngenta GMO corn traits

Oct 15 French seed group Vilmorin and German peer KWS SAAT signed long-term licensing agreements with Syngenta to use the Swiss chemical group's genetically modified (GMO) corn traits, they said on Thursday. They will be allowed to market Syngenta's current and future corn (maize) traits on a separate basis or through their joint ventures AgReliant, which sells seeds in North America, and Genective, which aims to develop its own GMO corn traits. Syngenta will receive a $200 million upfront payment and future royalty and milestone payments pending regulatory approvals.

Brussels, 13 October 2015 – Today’s vote in the European Parliament’s Committee of Agriculture (AGRI) significantly amends the Commission’s proposal for a new organic legislation. This follows the sector's concern in many areas and is further recognition that the original proposal would hinder sustainable growth of organic production in Europe. Although AGRI vote delivers a solid basis in many areas for further negotiations, some obstacles still remain.

"IFOAM EU supports the Committee’s rejection of the Commission proposal to introduce a decertification threshold for non-authorised substances and its suggestion to better harmonise investigation procedures in cases of contamination. This will strengthen process-based inspections and follows what IFOAM EU has been requesting since the beginning", highlights Christopher Stopes, President of IFOAM EU.

Farmers sprayed 2.6 billion pounds of Monsanto’s glyphosate herbicide on U.S. agricultural land between 1992 and 2012, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Glyphosate has been the go-to weed killer for use on genetically engineered, or GMO, crops since the mid-1990s, when Monsanto introduced its “Roundup Ready” corn and soybeans.

Click here to watch a time-lapse video of the spread of glyphosate across America over the 20-year period.

http://www.ewg.org/agmag/2015/04/glyphosate-spreading-cancer-across-us

Glyphosate Is Spreading Like a Cancer Across the U.S.

A draft EU law that would enable any member state to restrict or prohibit the sale and use of EU-approved GMO food or feed on its territory was opposed by Environment Committee MEPs on Tuesday. Members are concerned that the proposal might prove unworkable and lead to the reintroduction of border controls between pro and anti-GMO countries. The recommendation will be put to a vote by Parliament as a whole at the 26-29 October plenary session in Strasbourg.

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Next steps

The recommendation was approved by 47 votes to 3, with 5 abstentions. It will be put to a plenary vote at the 26-29 October plenary session in Strasbourg.

The Global Movement for Seed Freedom invites you to join people and communities around the globe, from the 2nd to the 16th of October to celebrate our seeds, our soils, our land, our territories, and to create an Earth Democracy based on Living Seed, Living Soil, healthy communities and living economies.

http://seedfreedom.info/events/

We are living in a changing and challenging world.

We clearly have two totally different world orders, two totally different world views, two totally different paradigms evolving.

One is based on ONE Corporation with one paradigm, one agriculture, monopolies, monocultures, crushing the soil, crushing the biodiversity, crushing the small farmers, crushing our bodies with disease.

On the other hand we have billions of species, millions of people.

We, the people – cannot fail the Earth, each other and the future.

http://seedfreedom.info/events/

Sixteen countries have alerted the European Union that they want to opt out of E.U.-approved GM crops.

STOP THESE SINISTER TRADE DEALS

TTIP and CETA are not yet defeated. Keep signing! The former ECI continues under the new name European Initiative... read more

https://stop-ttip.org/

7. October 2015

Stop TTIP applied to carry out an official European Citizens’ Initiative in July 2014. This application was rejected by the European Commission on really shaky legal grounds. We’re challenging this decision in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) but the case is still ungoing. We decided in early October 2014 not to wait for the ECJ but to start a self-organised ECI.

Press Release By Dr Vandana Shiva

A whitefly epidemic has devastated the Bt cotton crop in Punjab forcing farmers to use 10-12 sprays – each costing Rs 3200. This, in addition to the high cost of Bt seeds sold by Monsanto-Mahyco Biotech. In Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab, farmers growing non Bt, desi cotton have not been impacted by pests like Bt cotton has. And organic farmers in Punjab had no whitefly attack.

It’s a landslide. More than half the 28 countries in the European Union, including Germany and France, have decided to ban their farmers from growing genetically modified crops. Several regions, including Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have also joined the movement.