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GMO Update

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Mar 31, 2011 at 23:08:48 PM PDT

Here's a sampling of the disturbing biotech news from around the world:

GE Alfalfa:

Center for Food Safety is suing the USDA over GE alfalfa. Again.

GE Sugarbeets:

American Crystal Sugar is selling all GE sugar. Again. This is the fourth year they are planting all GE beet seeds.

Mexico:

Crazy GE animals:

Cows that make human breast milk - in China
Pigs with organs you can transplant to humans - also in China

GE Salmon:

Great NYT op ed on Frankenfish Phobia
Could it become legal in Canada?

Monsanto:

Getting sued by organic farmers! (Monsanto called it a public policy stunt)

Bullshit you should pay attention to:

"Biodiversity doesn't feed people, but GM crops do" (ACSH is a corporate front, btw)

EU:

Hungary opposed to GMOs
There's an effort to decentralize the EU's GMO legalization process but Britain, France, Germany, and Spain are against it. But Britain says its opposition is because the decentralized policy might make it harder to introduce more GMOs.
Another piece on the same draft policy says it could lead to violence and crop vandalism.
France urged to permit GE corn.
And France's ban on GE maize was done illegally.

GE Rice:

A jury fined Bayer $136.8 million over the Riceland disaster that occurred a few years back when GE Liberty Link rice got into the commercial rice crop.

Labeling:

Consumer freedom is under attack without truth-in-labeling for GMOs

Africa:

More African countries are likely to grow GE crops.
South Africa was the continent's sole cultivator of GM maize, cotton and soybeans until 2008, when Egypt began growing GM maize, and Burkina Faso started growing GM cotton.
Now Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mali, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Ghana are conducting research and field trials of GM crops including maize, rice, wheat, sorghum and cotton, which could prove to be the first step toward adoption.
Ghana: Govt Under Pressure to Adopt Genetically Modified Crops
Walter Alhassan, Monsanto-Cargill and GM in Ghana
African Countries Urged To Speed Up The Passage Of Bio-safety Legislations
Buckle up for GE bananas in Uganda
Uganda's disease-hit banana crops will not be saved by GM science
Tanzania: Expert Warns Dar on GMOs
Zambia mulls over genetically modified cotton production
Kenya in spotlight as more nations turn to GM foods

WaPo: "Genetically modified crops get boost over organics with recent USDA rulings"
GE pineapple (Costa Rica)
Floods wash away GE canola crop (hope there weren't any organic farms nearby)
UK Supermarkets sign up to 'sustainable' GM soy label

Jill Richardson :: GMO Update

Tags: GMOs, Biotechnology, (All Tags)

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GMO Update | 9 comments

Can somebody help me... (4.00 / 2)

...pick up my jaw?

Yikes Jill, I haven't even fully gotten around to the Sampler Platter yet!

I have some catching up to do this weekend.

by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Fri Apr 01, 2011 at 06:22:55 AM UTC

by: you @ soon

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Law suit by PUBPAT Organic Farmers/Against Monsanto (4.00 / 2)

Please refer to my posting in "Dairies" - A New Salvo in War with Monsanto and Roundup Ready Seed - posted on 3/30/11. It will explain the suit, participants and it's implications.

Thanks for the GMO update!

by: firesoul @ Fri Apr 01, 2011 at 14:24:01 PM UTC

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AP talks to Dr. Huber (4.00 / 2)

Scientists question claims in biotech letter
MICHAEL J. CRUMB, Associated Press
Fri Apr 1 2011
He told The Associated Press the organism that concerned him was found in much higher concentrations in corn and soybeans grown from so-called Roundup Ready seeds than in grains grown from conventional seed, although the samples of conventional crops tested were too small to get a reliable result.
...
Huber said he sent the letter through a third party so it could be hand-delivered to Vilsack.
The USDA acknowledged it had received the letter, but it doesn't appear the agency is investigating the matter.
"It has been confirmed that no letter addressed to Secretary Vilsack from Dr. Huber has been received directly by USDA," the agency said in a statement to the AP. "The only copy we received was forwarded by a third party, and we do not respond to third-party letters."

Weird.

by: count @ Fri Apr 01, 2011 at 18:51:41 PM UTC

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That's actually bull (4.00 / 2)

at least in part. The part about the USDA not getting the letter. It was on Vilsack's desk, according to several sources w/in the USDA. And it was disregarded due to "lack of evidence." The USDA's not the sort of place where you can say ANYTHING even slightly negative about biotech, even if it's true.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

by: Jill Richardson @ Sat Apr 02, 2011 at 00:49:53 AM UTC

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Not bull. (4.00 / 2)

I attempted to make this clear with the emphasis. USDA statement is, the letter was received but not received directly, by which is meant (seemingly?) not directly from Huber via USPS. The anonymous mouthpiece didn't say the letter was not received. Instead, they received it from Huber via some third party other than USPS which makes some kind of big whoop-de-do difference according to them.

As I have written since you first published the letter, the preliminary nature of the findings about the newly discovered pathogen might inhibit Vilsack's ability to act on those concerns, but we can bear in mind that the other concerns expressed by Huber in regular order during the comment period are backed up by evidence consisting of peer reviewed articles published in scientific journals, and those concerns were disregarded despite the availability of evidence. The simple fact is, all of these concerns were disregarded because of the administration's blind commitment to genetic engineering, regardless of whether contrary evidence is available or not.

by: count @ Sat Apr 02, 2011 at 02:09:27 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Not really news, but GM related (4.00 / 2)

Not really news, but maybe this screed against Naked Juice's principled stand against GMOs from Marc Gunther at Greenbiz.

Here's what I'm talking about. The other day, I noticed this message on a Naked Juice bottle:
We use only the freshest, purest stuff in the world and leave out everything else. no added sugar no preservatives non-GMO* *gluten free
The double asterisk next to non-GMO led me to this:
While many ingredients do not exist in bioengineering varieties, Naked Juice does not use ingredients that were produced using biotechnology as a matter of principle.
It was the last five words that caught my attention. "As a matter of principle." The phrase also is used on Naked's website.
Not as a matter of marketing. Not because the consumers of Naked Juice just might happen to be the kinds of people who would feel good about avoiding GMOs. But as a matter of principle.
Hmm. There's an implicit moral judgment there, no?
What, I wondered, might the principle be?

by: mental_masala @ Fri Apr 01, 2011 at 20:24:16 PM UTC

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I remember (4.00 / 3)

that when the prospect of GMO foods were first becoming apparent, the powers that be touted miracle beneficial things such as golden rice and blue roses and how humanity would reap the benefits of such a wonderful advance.

But in the end, all we get are crops that are sprayed with poison without dying or crops that carry poison in their tissues. Some miracle that turned out to be!

by: Crider @ Sat Apr 02, 2011 at 15:43:38 PM UTC

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well (4.00 / 2)

we also got glow in the dark fish.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

by: Jill Richardson @ Mon Apr 04, 2011 at 08:17:54 AM UTC

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An historical advance! (4.00 / 1)

I mean, really... how else would we know where our fish were once the lights go out?!

Humanitarianism at its best!

by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Mon Apr 04, 2011 at 21:50:32 PM UTC

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