Everything you wanted to know about GM food but were afraid to ask

Prince Charles caused a stir this week with his strongest comments yet on GM food. But why? Farming editor STEVE DUBE investigates.

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No a la papa transgénica en Sudáfrica

En Sud África está a punto de aprobarse la papa genéticamente modificada. Si se llegara a aprobar, Sudáfrica sería el primer país en el mundo donde se comercialice papa transgénica, después de haber sido rechazada en muchos países.

La presencia de esa papa transgénica en nuestro sistema alimentaria va a ir en detrimento de la salud de los consumidores sudaficanos, y lo que es más grave, va a servir de precedente para que su comercialización se generalice a otros países del Tercer Mundo.

Con estos antecedentes, le pedimos que lean la declaración y se adhieran a la campaña que viene haciendo Haidee Swanby.

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El uso y consumo de productos transgénicos es debatido en Perú

Autorizar o no la entrada de semillas transgénicas que pueden poner en peligro los vastos recursos agrícolas de Perú ha desatado un agrio debate, incluso en el seno del Gobierno. La creación de un reglamento sobre el uso de biotecnología que regule la entrada de cultivos modificados genéticamente al país, enfrenta a sus partidarios -encabezados por el Ministerio de Agricultura-, que señalan que ayudará a aumentar la productividad agraria, y a los que creen que dañarán el acervo natural peruano, liderados por el Ministerio de Ambiente.

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Sabotaje a la patata transgénica

Los adversarios de los cultivos transgénicos no tiran la toalla: en Gran Bretaña se vienen dedicando a destruir los campos experimentales de nuevas variedades de vegetales genéticamente modificados. Mediante los sabotajes los activistas pretenden paralizar el proceso legal de aprobación, que exige la realización previa de estudios sobre sus riesgos y beneficios en condiciones controladas. Por lo pronto, han conseguido detener indefinidamente los ensayos con un tipo de patata transgénica.

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Scientists demand protection from anti-GM protestors to assess benefits in crop trials

Field trials of GM crops in the UK need better protection to allow researchers to assess the benefits of genetic modification technology, scientists said today.

Professor Howard Atkinson of the University of Leeds suggested the location and details of small-scale trials could be kept from the public, as they are in Canada, to prevent them being vandalised by anti-GM protesters.

Other options could include a national, secure field testing site for GM crops or that universities conducting trials should not have to bear the costs of security measures such as fences or guards, researchers said.

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Germany's BASF takes GM potato case to EU court

BASF has taken legal action against the European Commission for failure to act on its genetically modified Amflora potato, the German chemicals company said on Thursday.

BASF said in a statement it filed the action with the European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg because the Commission unjustifiably delayed the approval of Amflora after a 12-year process.

"EU commissioners have postponed Amflora's approval despite repeated positive safety assessments by EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority," said Stefan Marcinowski, a member of BASF's executive board.

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SA's GM spud awaits commercial approval

Africa's first locally developed genetically modified crop has finished its field trials and is now before an interdepartmental committee that will decide whether it can go on South African markets.

The GM potato, developed by SA scientists using an American "design", has been adapted to fend off the potato tuber moth, which costs the food industry up to R40-million annually.

The potato was developed for local conditions by an Agricultural Research Council team led by Dr Kobie de Ronde. The findings of six years of field trials will be presented to the media in Irene, Pretoria, on Friday.

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Nuevos estudios ponen en jaque a los transgénicos

El Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA) de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona ha analizado la situación en Cataluña y Aragón, donde hay cultivo comercial de transgénicos desde 1998 y concluye que su coexistencia es prácticamente imposible. Analizamos la situación del Estado español y, en concreto, de Aragón.

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South Africa develops new GM potato variety

South Africa's Agricultural Research Council (ARC) has developed a new potato variety resistant to the potato tuber moth, a major pests causing millions worth of harvest loss in major solanaceous crops.

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The Scientific Solution

This season, hundreds of potato growers are tentatively watching their crops for signs of one of the most virulent strains of blight to have so far evolved in the UK - genotype 13.

Its presence has prompted the Potato Council to step up its Fight Against Blight (FAB) and Blightwatch alerting services and is a reminder of the increasing threat that diseases and pests pose to UK horticulture and agriculture.

Given these circumstances, a genetically modified (GM), blight- resistant crop could be a saviour to many potato growers - as could other kinds of GM crops to a number of growers.

But controversy still surrounds this technology - despite the fact that countries such as Canada and the US have been using it for years.

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Scientists reopen debate over GM food

Scientists have genetically engineered fruit and vegetables capable of providing most of a day’s nutrients in a single meal.

Heading towards the market are potatoes with 33% more protein content, modified tomatoes that could be capable of protecting against cancer and peanuts without the chemicals that cause deadly nut allergies.

Cassava has been packed with new genes that help the plant accumulate extra iron and zinc from the soil, and synthesise vitamins E and A.

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Activists destroy Leeds University potato trial

A TRIAL to develop a genetically modified potato that could save the UK potato industry £50million a year and benefit farmers worldwide has been destroyed by activists after just three weeks.

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UK: Government takes fresh look at GM crops

Genetically modified crops could be grown in Britain on a wider scale as a means of dealing with the global food crisis, it was revealed today.

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UK: Genetically-modified crop field destroyed by eco-warriors

Eco-warriors have destroyed an entire crop of genetically modified potatoes - wiping out vital research to help end famine worldwide.

No one has claimed responsibility for the destruction of thousands of the spuds in a field near Tadcaster, North Yorks.

But Environment Minister Phil Woolas, who had sanctioned the trial by scientists at Leeds University, last night launched a furious attack on the "gutless" group behind the incident.

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Benn Gives Go-Ahead for New GM Potato Trial

Ministers have given permission for thousands of GM potatoes to be grown in Britain, a decision that is bound to provoke a new confrontation with environmentalists.

Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for the Environment , has agreed to let scientists at Leeds University cultivate the potato, which has been engineered to resist eelworm, in a trial over the next three years in a test field near Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. The GM Freeze protest group is considering taking legal action.

The move follows repeated clashes over a different experimental GM potato, modified against blight, in Britain last year. Trials had to be abandoned following protests by environmentalists and local farmers.

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Genetically-Modified Foods: How Safe Are They To Eat?

Since 1994, when grocers began selling the Flavr Savr, a genetically-engineered tomato bred to stay firm after harvest, many people have worried about the potential risks of consuming bioengineered food.

Few trends in food and nutrition elicit greater interest. Every week, it seems, some new study or research finding is released adding to a controversy that shows few signs of going anywhere. Since much of the under-developed world of the Southern Hemisphere is, literally, starving, the future of public policy regarding genetically modified foods has yet to be decided in most cases.

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Heritage vegetables aren't necessarily the best

It is interesting to leaf through seed catalogues from the early 19th and 20th centuries. They often include pictures of white-coated scientists in their laboratories, surrounded by test tubes. The fact that science lay behind these new products was a big selling point.

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GM food: Monster or saviour?

I have to confess, until now the whole debate about genetically-modified (GM) food has pretty much passed me by. Most of my career has been spent as a foreign correspondent. But last summer I returned to the UK to start a new job with the BBC. I now glory in the title Rural Affairs Correspondent.

A big part of my new brief is to report on farming. It is my (sometimes painful) duty to attend agriculture conferences and seminars. I also meet many farmers on their farms. And over the months, time and time again the issue of GM has been raised.

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La CE discutirá esta semana si debe cambiar su política sobre los transgénicos

La Comisión Europea (CE) debatirá el miércoles sobre si debe cambiar o no su política para la aprobación de transgénicos, en un momento en que hay crisis de abastecimiento de alimentos y altos precios.

EFE El Ejecutivo comunitario celebrará un debate interno sobre "el camino a seguir" respecto a la aprobación de Organismos Genéticamente Modificados (OGM), que ahora es muy lenta, porque dentro de los países comunitarios no existe una postura unificada y algunos estados votan en contra.

La discusión, prevista dentro de la reunión semanal del Colegio de Comisarios, ha sido impulsada por el presidente de la CE, José Manuel Durao Barroso y también incluye decisiones sobre expedientes concretos de transgénicos, según han informado hoy fuentes comunitarias.

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Africa: How Media is Pushing GM Crops

Unwitting African countries are being coaxed and coerced to cultivate and consume genetically modified crops in a campaign bankrolled by giant biotech multinationals and executed by cash-rich "scientific" organisations who extol technology as the panacea for the continent's hunger and low agricultural productivity.

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Defra approves GM potato trial

After public consultation, Defra has given approval to Leeds University to conduct a research trial this year of GM potatoes. The research is on potatoes that have been genetically modified to resist infection by potato cyst nematodes.

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UE sigue dividida por OGM, pero insta a Austria a levantar salvaguarda

La Comisión Europea volvió a negarse el miércoles a autorizar el cultivo de una papa y variedades de maíz genéticamente modificados, aunque exigió a Austria levantar sus salvaguardas contra las importaciones de dos productos de este tipo.

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Can Commission Back Out of GMO Impasse?

The credibility of the European Commission will be seriously undermined if it is unable to respond to intense pressure to reform EU GMO policy at a long-awaited internal debate on Wednesday 7 May, warned Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth Europe today.

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Environmental groups appeal to EU to tighten biotech rules

Environmental groups appealed to the European Union on Monday to reject applications from the biotech industry to approve new potato and corn products for cultivation in the EU.

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BASF considers legal action against EC over GM potato delays

THE EU has been accused of making a mockery of its genetics approval system after stalling for over five years on a decision to allow cultivation of a GM potato in Europe.

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As the world begins to starve it's time to take GM seriously

With the Earth's population continuing to soar, it will be the poor who go hungry, not the eco-warriors destroying modified crops

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BASF presses officials to approve its GM potato

German chemical giant BASF is cranking up pressure on the European Commission to get its green light for a genetically modified potato, a world first the company has decided deserves a few pages of advertising.

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BASF ready for lawsuit against EU on GMO potato

German chemical company BASF may take legal action against the European Commission if approval of its genetically modified (GMO) potato is not issued soon, a senior company official said on Thursday.

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Alemania aprueba los ensayos de campo con patata y azúcar modificada genéticamente

La Oficina Federal alemana de Protección al Consumidor y Seguridad Alimentaria (BMVEL) ha confirmado la aprobación de ensayos al aire libre de la remolacha azucarera resistente al glifosato, así como de la patata modificada genéticamente con altos contenidos en almidón, según refleja en su edición digital la agencia Reuters.

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AVEBE, Emsland and Lyckeby, the three leading European potato starch producers, are calling on the European Commission to approve Amflora for commerci

AVEBE, Emsland and Lyckeby, the three leading European potato starch producers, are calling on the European Commission to approve Amflora for commercial cultivation in Europe. Amflora is a genetically enhanced starch potato developed by BASF Plant Science.

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BASF Given Nod for Genetically Modified Potatoes, Reuters Says

BASF SE, the world's largest chemicals maker, received approval to plant its genetically modified potato on fields in several German states, Reuters said.

BASF received the approval for the cultivation on fields in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western-Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt, the news service said, citing unidentified people at the federal agency for consumer protection and food safety.

The company will be allowed to use a maximum of one hectare (2.47 acres) per location each year to grow modified potatoes, Reuter said. Similar approvals had already been given in 2006 and last year, the news service said.

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Environment Minister: GM corn may be banned in Romania

Romania raised for the first time the problem of banning the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) (...) A worldwide flaming controversy is taking place lately on the subject. In Romania, the more relaxed legislation allowed the cultivation of genetically modified soy for almost 10 years. Experiments have been conducted for modified plums and potatoes as well.

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New report indicates large GM potential for South Asia

A new compendium of studies addressing the use of genetically modified plants in South Asia forecast major economic benefits. Drought- and salt-tolerant rice may provide a added value of about three billion US dollars for India (...) Potential economic and environmental benefits also are indicated by other products that are under ABSPII development in the region. In India, this denotes varieties of sunflower, groundnut, eggplant and potato that are resistant to insects or to pathogens. In Bangladesh, tests were performed with the rice and potato lines, as well as with insect-resistant eggplant and chickpea.

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EU will not decide on BASF's genetically modified potato until Summer

The European Commission has postponed its decision on approving BASF SE's genetically modified (GM) potato Amflora until Summer, while the debate over how to deal with GM food in the bloc continues, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported, citing Brussels sources.

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BASF Delays Gene-Modified Potato Crop, Blames EU for Inaction

BASF SE, the world's largest chemicals maker, postponed cultivation of the genetically modified Amflora potato to at least next year after the European Commission failed to rule on its approval.

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BASF espera aprobación patata transgénica que aportará 20 millones euros año

El mayor grupo químico del mundo, BASF, quiere que la Comisión Europea (CE) apruebe el cultivo y el uso industrial de su patata transgénica, que podría aportarle cuantiosos ingresos, pero a ello se oponen los ecologistas.

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Leeds GM block bid fails

CAMPAIGNERS have failed to persuade a minister to delay a meeting about Leeds University plans to grow genetically-modified potatoes.

GM Freeze and Friends of the Earth wrote to Hilary Benn, the Leeds Central MP and Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), asking him to prevent his scientific advisors from discussing the application before public consultation ended.

But the meeting of the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (Acre), which advises ministers on the risks of genetically-modified (GM) organisms, went ahead as planned.

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BASF's genetically modified Amflora potato takes key hurdle towards EU

Germany (Thomson Financial) - The European Union agricultural ministers have passed BASF SE's application for use of its genetically modified potato Amflora in animal feed on to the EU Commission, the German chemical company said.

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Greenpeace critica el apoyo del Gobierno español a una patata transgénica de la multinacional BASF

Ayer la propuesta de la Comisión Europea de aprobar para importación y consumo (no para cultivo) una patata transgénica (EH92-527-1) de la multinacional BASF no recibió la aprobación del Consejo de Ministros de Agricultura.


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La primera patata transgénica fractura a la Unión Europea

El desacuerdo fue tal que los ministros de Agricultura de los Veintisiete reunidos ayer en Bruselas decidieron no votar la aprobación de la patata modificada genéticamente. Así, la aprobación siguió adelante, sin votos, para no escenificar el desencuentro. La caliente patata transgénica queda ahora en manos de Comisión Europea, que hace un año ya dio luz verde y que ahora tiene tres meses para decidir. España apoya su venta, mientras que Alemania, Austria, Letonia y Dinamarca se oponen e impiden el pacto. Los ministros de la UE también retrasaron la aprobación de cuatro variedades de maíz transgénico por la misma razón.

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EU moves closer to approving new biotech potato, four kinds of maize

European Union nations failed to agree whether to ban five biotech farm products Monday, bringing approval through a bureaucratic procedure a step closer.

The deadlock by the 27 farm ministers moved the approval of a genetically engineered potato to produce starch and four insect resistant maize varieties back to the executive EU Commission.

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Los ministros de Agricultura de la UE debaten sobre la revisión de la PAC

Los ministros de Agricultura de la Unión Europea abordarán hoy "tres prioridades" en el marco de la reforma de la Política Agrícola Común (PAC) propuesta por la Comisión Europea para adaptar la política agrícola a los nuevos tiempos. La Comisión tiene previsto presentar a los Veintisiete sus propuestas legislativas formales el próximo mes de mayo con el fin de aprobarlas durante el segundo semestre de 2008 bajo la presidencia francesa de la UE.

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BASF gene-altered potato is dividing EU

The Amflora potato looks like any garden-variety spud, but it has been genetically modified by the German chemical giant BASF to be unusually rich in starch. It also has aroused concerns that sick people and the elderly could become more vulnerable to disease because there are fears that the potato could trigger resistance to certain antibiotics in humans.

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Biotech firm mans barricades as campaigners vow to stop trials

On the outskirts of Cambridge, a field little bigger than a football pitch is about to become the latest GM battleground. On one side is a multinational company, intent on planting a test crop of genetically modified potatoes. On the other, a group of anti-GM campaigners that has vowed to do its best to prevent the trial.

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MAPA y CCAA acuerdan constituir un grupo de trabajo para fijar una postura ante el chequeo médico

Estos han sido, a grandes rasgos, los principales temas que esta mañana se han tratado en la reunión del Consejo Consultivo celebrado en la sede del MAPA en Madrid.

El más novedoso es sin duda, la puesta en marcha con "carácter inmediato" de un grupo de trabajo -a través del Fondo Español de Garantía Agraria, FEGA-, para que las comunidades autónomas trabajen junto con el MAPA para "tomar una postura común" frente a la reforma de la Política Agraria Común, ha explicado Santiago Menéndez de Luarca, subsecretario de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación.

(...) Otro de los aspectos que han tratado durante el Consejo Consultivo ha sido la comercialización del maíz y la patata transgénica para la alimentación animal procedente de terceros países; "cultivos que debemos autorizar en la medida en la que los importamos, ya que si los traemos, lo propio es que los podamos sembrar aquí" ha dicho la consejera de Castilla y León, Silvia Clemente.

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Genetically modified organisms will benefit the world's poorest people

Many people harbor negative feelings regarding genetically modified (GM) foods. Much of this can be credited to disinformation circulating through the public consciousness, although some apprehension has its root in valid concerns of the technology. One current debate revolves around if GM foods will help or harm farmers and others in some of the poorest regions of the world. Although some immediately take a position based on their initial reaction to the thought of GM foods, it is important to look at the studies regarding GM foods and the results of their introduction into resource-poor countries to form a true, unbiased opinion.

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Nano News is Good News

The research of Arpad Putzai about a decade ago in which he fed genetically modified potatoes to rats and purportedly observed deleterious effects, kicked off the whole anti-GM movement in the UK. In a recent Guardian interview with Pusztai, his current position on the subject is probably best summed up by an early quote from the interview:

“We’re eating things that we haven’t eaten before, and I challenge anyone to be able to predict what will be the consequences of this, particularly the consequences for our immune system.”

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Arpad Pusztai: Biological divide

Contrary to the belief of some in the scientific community, Dr Arpad Pusztai does not have horns or a malevolent cackle. Nor does he inhabit an imposing gothic mansion bought with the proceeds of guest appearances as an eco-hero. In fact, he lives in a modest semi in Aberdeen.

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Frankenstein foods are not monsters

All hail Doctor Frankenstein, maker of monsters. God is in retreat, skulking outside the laboratory while modern imitators of Mary Shelley’s mad boffin brew potions, splice genes and bring more new life forms into profitable being.

Ten years after the Prince of Wales accused genetic engineers of taking us into “realms that belong to God and God alone”, those who trespassed into the Kingdom of Heaven have emerged triumphant with a bag full of swag. Monsanto, the American corporation that brought us maize that makes its own pesticide, is thriving, rolling in cash, its stock price ascendant.

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