News

Two more GMO free Regions in Bulgaria

The municipalities of Kardzhali and Banite in the South of Bulgaria have declared themselves GMO free Regions according to Agrolink Bulgaria, an organic organisation aiming at declaring the entire region of the Rhodope mountains a GMO free Region.

9-Misc: Two more municipalities in Bulgaria are declaring to be GMO Free

posted Friday, June 30, 2006

Down under: Tasmania committed to stay GMO free

"We are positioning Tasmania as GM-free and we don't want to fall in with those who would target less-than discerning buyers," Tasmanias Ag minister Llewellyn said this week. "There is a push at a national (Australian) by saying coexistence policies should be adopted by each state. I don't believe it's a viable alternative. I don't want us to lose our competitive advantage.'"

The Mercury: GM-free intentions defended

posted Thursday, June 29, 2006

EU environment ministers discuss GMO risk assessment

"The delegations welcomed the set of measures decided on by the Commission with a view to improving the risk assessment procedures in the context of the current legislation. Certain delegations underlined the importance of applying the precautionary principle in this context," announces the Council of Environmental Ministers first bulletin on the results of the ministers discussion on GMOs. Outside activists called for more.

EU-Observer: Austrian presidency fails to stop GMO approvals

Greenpeace EU: Protest on GMOs at the EU Environment Council: make precaution a reality

Picture Greenpeace International: 25 Statues of Liberty holding forks and say: "Liberty for Europe to be GMO-free!"

2740th Environment Council meeting, Luxembourg, 27 June 2006 (provisional version)

FOE: EU Environment Ministers urged to introduce tougher food safety rules

posted Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Eurobarometer: European rejection of GM food increases

While Europeans, according to a recent Eurobarometer poll of the EU Commission are embracing biotechnologies for medicine and industrial purposes their rejection of GMOs in food is actually bolder than ever.

Europeans still largely oppose GMOs, says new report

posted Friday, June 23, 2006

EU: Biotech meeting in Helsinki behind closed doors

A high level meeting of the Commission, the incoming Finnish EU-presidency and biotech companies was held in Helsinki on June 20th to discuss the EU's biotech strategy. NGOs were not admitted.

FoE Europe: Friends of the Earth exposes EU for secret biotech industry bias

posted Friday, June 23, 2006

EU: 208 Members of European Parlimanent call for GMO ban

208 of the 727 members of the European Parliament have signed a written declaration demanding the right of regions to ban GMOs in their country and a calling for a ban of GMO patents. Given the fact that these demands would have clearly contradicted previous decisions of the Parliament this number of supporters is outstanding.

ICPPC: Declaration 14/2006

posted Thursday, June 22, 2006

EU member states experts criticise EFSA's risk assessment

At a meeting of national experts and representatives of the European Food Safety Authority on GMO risk assessment harsh words were kept behind closed doors. According to participants numerous experts made far reaching suggestions to overhaul the present system of risk assessment. On the lighter side an EFSA official told Reuters "that it was natural that the agency was using short-term data from the industry in its assessments because GMOs were fairly young".

Reuters: Food Safety Body Says Works Closely With EU on GMOs

posted Wednesday, June 21, 2006

USA: Santa Cruz county bans GMOs

Supervisors of the county of Santa Cruz unanimously agreed on a 'precautionary' moratorium on the cultivation of GMOs in the region around the Capital of California.

Santa Cruz Sentinel: County bans biotech crops

posted Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Background: USDA overview on the EU's GMO politics

A comprehensive overview on the European Unions state of politics on genetically modified organisms, complemented with links to many relevant EU web-sites and references has been published by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service.

USDA: EU-25 Biotechnology Annual Agricultural Biotechnology Report 2006

posted Friday, June 16, 2006

France: Secret field trials of pharmaceutical GMOs

The approval of 17 field trials by the French government, including two with pharmaceutical GMOs, have been criticised by various organisations. There is still no proper GM law governing such trials in France.

GMWatch.org

posted Wednesday, June 14, 2006

GMO industry enthusiastic about EU biofuels initiative

The establishment of a new EU "technology platform" on biofuels has been enthusiastically welcomed by Europes GMO industry association "Europa-Bio" as "yet another key step in the integration of biotechnology into the infrastructure of the European economy. Biotechnology had the potential to enable the production of fuels and chemicals.

EU: Launching Conference of the European Technology Platform for Biofuels

Background from the USA: Green Fuel's Dirty Secret

posted Sunday, June 11, 2006

EU: Key discussion on new approvals of GMO cultivation

On June 19th the European Food Safety Authority, the European Commission and national experts from all member states will be meeting to discuss three GMO applications for cultivation: Syngenta's Bt11, Pioneers 1507 and BASF's high starch potato. While some approvals have been granted for food and feed no GMO has been approved within the EU for cultivation since 1998. The meeting, which will also impact the next Council of Environmental ministers on June 27th aims to come to a consensus on the future direction on this highly controversial issue. Environmental groups urge the Commission and member states to re-think their approach to risk assessment and take a precautionary approach.

FOE: Hidden uncertainties

Greenpeace: Demands to EFSA risk assessment

FOE: Analysis of Pioneers GM maize 1507 risk assessment

posted Friday, June 09, 2006

BASF boss tells Wales to leave the EU

Hans Kast, chairman of EuropaBio and CEO of BASF, said European countries which did not want approved GM goods "should get out of the EU and say we want to be on our own." When asked, in an interview for eupolitix.com, about the aspiration for a GM-free Wales, he said, "I have not heard that the people of Wales want to be GM free. Would Wales be allowed to say we don't want to have cars?"

icWales: - Biotech boss slams GM-free Wales

Europolitics.com: Interview with Hans Kast

posted Wednesday, June 07, 2006

vacant EFSA position on GMO risk assessment

EFSA: Call for expressions of interest for a position within EFSA - Senior Scientific Officer for the Unit on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO Unit)

posted Thursday, June 01, 2006