News

Polish Senate Approves National Ban on GMO Seeds

Poland's upper house of parliament banned trade and plantings of genetically modified seeds on Thursday, increasing the risk of a conflict with Brussels for adopting legislation that breaks EU rules.

Reuters

posted Thursday, April 20, 2006

Europe's Food Safety Agency says banned GMOs pose no risk

Europe's leading food safety agency gave the green light on Wednesday for five genetically modified crops and foods that are banned in certain EU countries, saying they posed no risk to human or animal health.

checkbiotech.org

posted Wednesday, April 19, 2006

EC approved GM crops despite safety fears

New documents released to Friends of the Earth reveal that the European Commission has been approving genetically modified foods and crops despite having serious doubts over their health and environmental impacts. Both Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have today called for a suspension in the use and sale of all GM foods and crops until the safety issues have been addressed.

Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace: Joint Press Release

BBC News

The Daily Telegraph

posted Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Greenpeace and Confederation Paysanne occupy Monsanto seed factory

Massive police presence as Greenpeace, Jose Bove from Confederation Paysanne occupied Monsanto's seed | Greenpfacility in Trebes, France. Over 75 activists have occupied the facility and are currently holding a citizens inspection in the search for genetically engineered (GE) maize seeds. They have demanded that Monsanto and the French authorities stop import and distribution of GE maize seed into France.

Greenpeace France: Occupation d'une usine Monsanto : le gouvernement doit interdire les cultures d'OGM en France

posted Thursday, April 13, 2006

EU Commission promises stricter requirements on GMO risk assessment

Environment Commissioner Dimas and Consumer and Health Commissioner Kyprianou have listed a set of requests to the European Food Safety Authority's risk assessment of GMOs, including more details to justify their decisions, assessment of biodiversity impacts and long term effects and more respect for national authorities and scientific submissions. The Commission also announced additional risk management measures for future GMO approvals and reserves the right to suspend approval processes, if "new scientific questions were not properly addressed by EFSA". The announcement reflects massive criticism of the EFSA GMO panels practices by member states and stakeholders. ?The commission hears the message that member states want more scientific consistency and transparency,? said the spokesman.

EU press release, (E, F, D, Es)

ENS: EU Alters GMO Assessments to Satisfy Resistant Member States

FoodNavigator: Europabio - proposals could 'politicise' approvals process

Europolitix: EU overhauls GM approval procedures

Friends of the Earth: European Commission slaps its own food safety body ...as more countries ban biotech crops

posted Thursday, April 13, 2006

EU Commissioners controversy at conference in Vienna

While commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel, responsible for agriculture, said, effectively, GMOs were here to stay and Europeans should get used to them, Europe's environment commissioner Stavros Dimas attacked the EU's food safety agency (EFSA) on Wednesday for flawed risk assessments of genetically modified crops and foods, saying it relied too much on data given by the biotech industry.

Reuters: Safety Checks on GMOs Flawed - EU Environment Chief

Reuters: EU Commissioners Split on Genetically-Modified Food

europolitix.com: GM debate: Rifts open in the EU executive

Conference proceedings with all speeches and presentations

posted Thursday, April 06, 2006

Polish Government Eyes Ban on GMO Plantings

Poland's government wants to ban sowing and curb imports of genetically modified plants to protect its image as an environmentally-friendly state, Deputy Farm Minister Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski said on Wednesday.

Reuters

posted Thursday, April 06, 2006

GMO contamination in Spain: a warning for Europe

The spiralling uptake of genetically engineered crops in Spain is causing massive genetic contamination, threatens the livelihood of farmers and urgently needs to be suspended, says Greenpeace. In a new report, 'Impossible Coexistence', environmentalists show how GE crops in Spain - the only EU country that grows genetically modified organisms on a large scale - are undermining agricultural biodiversity and consumer choice.

Greenpeace press Release

posted Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Friends of the Earth condemns Commission contamination policy

Genetically modified crops can only be grown in Europe if contamination of organic and conventional foods are permitted, claims Friends of the Earth today in a new publication. The environmental group is scathing of the European Commission who are organizing a conference on the ?co-existence? of GM and non GM farming in Vienna as part of the Austrian presidency of the EU. They claim the Commission is only listening to industry whilst ignoring European law and the majority of the public.

FoE Pressrelease

posted Monday, April 03, 2006