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The European Commission announced on Monday that, in response to a report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) identifying risks posed to bees by ‘neonicotinoid’ pesticides, it will start to take some protective measures. However the Commission did not go far enough to placate environmentalists who, along with the EFSA itself, had called for a complete ban of neonicotinoid pesticides. According to the EFSA report, these widely-used insecticides affect the central nervous system of insects, causing paralysis and death. Recognising this concern, Health and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Tonio Borg said the Commission “will propose a series of ambitious but proportionate legislative measures”. However, he was criticised for stressing that “a total ban would not be justified.” Last week, in a debate in the European Parliament's environment committee, other opinions were voiced. Green MEP Bart Staes said: “While scientists and beekeepers have been sounding the alarm for almost two decades, there is now a wide and growing body of evidence on the devastating impact of neonicotinoids on bee populations. The only responsible course of action is to immediately push ahead with an EU-wide moratorium on neonicotinoids.” On 31 January, EU officials will discuss neonicotinoids further, and plan to announce an action plan following the discussions. It is generally accepted that the decline of bee populations poses a serious threat to agriculture. Two thirds of crops humans use for food production depend on pollination by insects such as bees. According to a UN report, the work of bees and other pollinators is worth 153 billion euros per year to the global economy.

This Wednesday, January 23rd, we will start a new phase in our struggle against the planting of GMO maize here in Mexico, consisting of a collective hunger strike held in front of the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City. National peasant leaders from our organization from more than 20 states of our republic will begin a sit-in at this very symbolic location. This act of voluntarily using our own bodies for civic protest will remind us of our almost 30 million fellow Mexicans who cannot find enough food to fill their stomachs on a daily basis. We want to reach the hearts and minds of the people of Mexico and the World to share our grave concern for the health, culture and economy of our nation, eroded by a development model that only benefits a tiny minority

State lawmakers have begun this year’s Legislature with a pile of bills targeting biotech industries that produce genetically modified organisms, with measures ranging from mandatory labeling to a total ban of such products in Hawai’i. House Bill 107 seeks to prohibit testing taro for genetic-modification purposes in the entire state, a ban which has been in effect on Big Island since November 2008 and in Maui County since October 2009, according to the bill. HB 107 was introduced Friday and passed first reading on the same day, but it has not been referred to any committee yet. Arguably the most ambitious bill, HB 349 seeks to stop GMO products from being sold or distributed in Hawai’i as early as Jan. 1, 2014.

GMO Inside, a coalition dedicated to advancing the right of consumers to know whether or not foods are genetically engineered, today announced that it is shining the light on the nation’s largest breakfast cereal companies: Kellogg’s and General Mills. GMO Inside is calling on these companies, who claim to be wholesome and healthy, to make a Fresh Start and label or remove the ingredients in their products that have been genetically engineered. In cereals, this could apply to major ingredients such as corn, soy, and added sugars.

Voters will decide in May 2014 whether to ban genetically modified crops in Jackson County.

Enough of the more than 6,700 signatures submitted by GMO-Free Jackson County were verified to qualify the measure, Jackson County Clerk Chris Walker confirmed Wednesday. The number of valid signatures well surpassed the required 4,662, Walker said. [...] “We’re very encouraged by the high success rate ... but it will still be a big challenge to get 40,000 yes votes in the election, because the bio-tech crowd always shows up and spends a lot of money to defeat these things,” [Petitioner Brian] Comnes said.

Séralini’s team and CRIIGEN have just filed complaints of defamation against claims of “fraud” and “falsified data” that were respectively published in “Marianne” and “La Provence” by Jean-Claude Jaillette and Claude Allègre who is a member of the French association for plant biotechnologies (AFBV).

In 2013 Séralini’s team and CRIIGEN will launch other legal actions to force disclosure of hidden and poor quality toxicological data. To set an example, we are arranging the formal delivery of the raw data of our last study to a notary. We will make these public as soon as the regulatory agencies or Monsanto do the same for their data, or when governments consent to publish the industry data.

Soybean output in No. 4 global exporter Paraguay could hit a record 8.6 million tonnes this season, beating private and official forecasts, if good weather holds over the weeks ahead, seed behemoth Monsanto said on Friday. [...] ”Paraguay has not been affected by the floods but we have had plenty of rain,” Monsanto's manager for Paraguay, Fernando Giannoni, told Reuters in a telephone interview. [...] Paraguay's soy area has expanded by about 6 percent a year since 2001, Giannoni said, as cattle ranchers move out of prime farmlands to make way for industrialized production. This season's soy area is estimated by Monsanto at 2.8 million hectares, or 6.9 million acres. Despite grumbling from growers who have resisted paying Monsanto royalties for genetically modified Roundup Ready soy seeds, Giannoni said Paraguay is a good bet for investors as parties across the political spectrum want to improve output.

Two-thirds of the British public say it is “important” that genetically modified ingredients are labelled on food, according to a survey published on Wednesday by the government’s Food Standards Agency, despite only a tiny number saying they look for GM information on labels. The findings, drawn from interviews with 1,467 people for a report by the food watchdog on GM labelling, will be a “major blow” to the government’s bid to win public acceptance for GM crops and food, anti-GM campaigners said. The environment secretary, Owen Paterson, last week told a farming conference: “we should not be afraid of making the case to the public about the potential benefits of GM.”

SOUTH Australia has stared down the Federal Government over its ban on genetically modified crops. The Federal Government had asked states with GM moratoria which had not reviewed their positions within the past three years to do so by the end of 2014. State Agriculture Minister Gail Gago has defiantly turned down the request.

“I have written to the Federal Government and told them that we will not be doing this,” Ms Gago said. “South Australia’s glean green food bowl gives us a competitive edge in the market. “Our non-GM crops attract greater market prices and the exceptional quality of SA’s food bowl is synonymous with the state.

Several Colorado agricultural groups are on high alert for the possible introduction of new legislation targeting genetically modified crops this year. Becky Brooks, state lobbyist for the Colorado Corn Growers Association, reported at the Colorado Ag Classic that she has heard “rumblings” about a statewide push for some type of GMO initiative. 
”There’s a chance it could be coming up in Colorado this year,” added Jules Van Thuyne, a Longmont farmer who farms land held in a conservation easement managed by Boulder County. “Nobody’s exempt. Every county along the Front Range has an open space program. It could very easily become a state issue.” 
According to news reports, 30 states around the country are now working on legislation relating to labeling of genetically modified crops. New Mexico, Washington, Oregon and Vermont are likely to see new initiatives pop up this year.
Debate over use of the technology, which represents progress to some and a source of concern to others, isn’t likely to end any time soon.