News

GM-free Regions Network issues the Declaration of Rennes

In line with a conference in Rennes the members of the GM-free Network have endorsed a declaration which expresses their ambitions and demands to EU authorities. The declaration also outlines further actions and prospects for the future.

Declaration of Rennes en fr dt

posted Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Austria to launch EU-wide GMO debate after Swiss referendum

Austria is planning to hold a pan-European debate about genetically-modified farming, following strong Swiss support for a five-year ban on gene technology in a referendum on November 27. Vienna will take over the EU's six-month rotating presidency in January and aims to host a conference about GM crops on 4-5 April, the country's agriculture minister Josef Proell has announced.

EU Observer

posted Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Swiss adopt five-year GMO farming ban

Switzerland voted in favor of a five-year ban on the farming of genetically modified plants and animals on Sunday, putting in place some of the toughest restrictions in Europe. Official results showed that 55.7 percent of voters accepted the proposal to impose a five-year moratorium.

Reuters

Swiss Info: Swiss consumers side with GM opponents

International Herald Tribune: Swiss back ban on modified crops

posted Monday, November 28, 2005

EU Commission authorises Danish GM contamination fund

The EU Commission has authorised a Danish law which provides for compensation of farmers for their financial losses, if their crops have been contaminated with GMOs. The compensation would come from a fund, which is financed by farmers cultivating GM crops.

EU: Commission authorises Danish state aid to compensate for losses due to presence of GMOs in conventional and organic crops

posted Thursday, November 24, 2005

Business: Monsanto/Cargill joint venture to produce gm animal feed

Renessen, an animal feed joint venture of Monsanto and commodity giant Cargill has announced its first product for 2007/2008: Maize with high lysine content to replace additives in industrial animal production. However, the company, so far having lost 445 mio US $ still faces considerable challenges.

Business News: Corn genetically engineered for animal feed to be marketed

posted Sunday, November 20, 2005

Australia: GM pea research stopped after mice fell ill

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has announced the stop of 10 years of research into genetically modified peas because they caused lung inflammation in mice. The peas were designed to kill the pea weevil - Bruchus pisorum - by introduction of a bean gene to block alpha-amylase, an enzyme important for digestion of starch. Weevil larvae feeding on the pea seed are unable to digest the starch and starve. While the gene product does not cause any immune reactions in beans it obviously did in the peas. The researchers suspect the subtle change with massive consequences to be caused by a process called glycosylation, which plays a major role in protein folding. The GM peas were also resistant to Bayer's herbicide "Basta".

AFX News: Australian researchers scrap GM peas after mice fall ill

CSIRO press release

posted Saturday, November 19, 2005

Poland: Greenpeace blocks GMO shipment

Rough seas on Thursday forced Greenpeace activists to give up a blockade of a ship they say carried 25,000 tonnes of genetically modified Argentinian soya to Poland. However an "unlikely coalition" is emerging against GM imports in Poland.

Reuters

Polish Radio: Greepeace and the conservative government form an unlikely alliance

posted Friday, November 18, 2005

Swiss to Vote on Five-Year GMO Ban

Swiss voters go to the polls on November 27 to review a measure that would impose one of the strictest bans in Europe on the use of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. The referendum, if approved, would impose a five-year moratorium on the cultivation of any plant or import of any animal whose genes have been altered in the laboratory.

Reuters

posted Thursday, November 17, 2005

Business: EU feed producers urge deal over GM soybeans from Argentina

The EU feed companies association FEFAC warned that the 2 billion market of Argentinian GM-soybean imports could be jeopardised if Argentinian farmers did not draw a deal with Monsanto. The company has lately sued importers of GM soybeans for seed royalties, Argentinian farmers had not payed.

World-Grain.com: FEFAC urges quick deal on Argentine GM soybean seed royalties

posted Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Ireland: Embarrasment over former director of EU's Joint Reserach Ccentre

Barry McSweeney was removed from his post as chief scientific advisor of the Irish government after revelations that his PhD was fabricated by a US "degree mill". Initially coming from an Irish biotech company McSweeney had been Director of the European Union Joint Research Centre (JRC) 2001 - 2004 and was instrumental for the institutions pro-GMO approach. In 2002 he even advised the Commission not to publish a JRC-report on GMOs in agriculture, which had revealed massive problems of coexistence and is now the most quoted scientific source on the issue.

Irish Examiner: What a difference a day makes...

GM free Ireland Press release with all background

posted Wednesday, November 16, 2005

French farmer sent to prison

French anti-GMO activist, Jose Bove, has been found guilty of destroying genetically modified crops. Bove was sentenced to four months by an appeals court on Tuesday. He was accused of helping to uproot a field of GM maize near the southwestern French city of Toulouse in July 2004.

KWQC: Militant French farmer sentenced to prison for ripping up GMO crop

posted Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Poland: New prime minister pledges to keep country GM free

In his inaugural speech to the Seijm Polands new prime minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz yielded ovations of the Parliament when announcing he would keep the country gmo free.

Xinhua: Poland parliment approves minoirty govt

posted Sunday, November 13, 2005

Poland: Zagorny released, 90% of provinces now gm free

Polish farmer Marian Zagorny, who stood in court to get more than 1 year in jail for attempting to block illegal shipments of GM grain and protesting factory farming of pigs, left the court as a free man. The court agreed that the actions were done to protect Polish agriculture and health. Marian was very happy and sends many thanks also on behalf of his farmers union 'Solidarni' to all who sent letters of support.

The Province of Opole in the South West Poland has now become the 14th Polish Province to declare itself a GMO Free Zone. There are now only two provinces left which have not declared themselves GMO Free. It brings the total number of Provinces to have declared GMO Free status to approximately 90% of the total area of Poland.

International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside (ICPPC)

posted Thursday, November 10, 2005

Czech farmers growing GE corn

Farmers in the Czech Republic have begun growing genetically engineered (GE) corn for the first time, and they could start selling it as early as next year.

The Prague Post

posted Friday, November 04, 2005

Commission authorises import of 1507 maize for use in animal feed

The European Commission has authorised the placing on the market of the genetically modified maize 1507. The authorisation covers the import and processing of this GMO, including its use in animal feed.

EU Press Release

food production daily: EU GM approval cannot hide widespread opposition

posted Thursday, November 03, 2005

Costa Rica: Santa Cruz goes GMO free

The Municipal Council of Santa Cruz in the Province of Guanacaste in Costa Rica, declared itself GE Free the 24th of October. This is the second GE Free Municipality in Costa Rica, after the decision of the Council of Paraíso de Cartago The decision to ban any GE crop inside Santa Cruz, was taken by all the members of the Council unanimously.

2nd County in Costa Rica goes GE Free

posted Tuesday, November 01, 2005