Noticias sobre papa transgénica

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

2008-08-19T06:35:00.000-03:00

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

2008-08-09T05:18:00.001-03:00

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

2008-08-04T06:43:00.000-03:00

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

2008-08-04T06:05:00.001-03:00

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

2008-07-28T16:31:00.000-03:00

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

2008-07-26T16:32:00.001-03:00

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

2008-07-26T14:00:00.000-03:00

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

2008-07-24T18:37:00.000-03:00

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

2008-07-14T05:03:00.000-03:00

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

2008-07-11T05:12:00.000-03:00

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

2008-07-06T13:13:00.000-03:00

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

2008-06-27T06:17:00.000-03:00

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

2008-06-19T19:20:00.000-03:00

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

2008-06-15T19:01:00.000-03:00

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

2008-06-10T14:26:00.001-03:00

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?

2008-06-07T07:40:00.000-03:00

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

2008-06-06T08:13:00.000-03:00

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?

2008-05-30T16:36:00.001-03:00

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

2008-05-29T21:20:00.000-03:00

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

2008-05-29T19:09:00.000-03:00

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

2008-05-09T17:11:00.001-03:00

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

2008-05-08T16:25:00.000-03:00

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?

2008-05-06T05:15:00.000-03:00

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

2008-05-06T05:12:00.000-03:00

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

2008-04-27T10:04:00.000-03:00

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

2008-04-27T09:38:00.000-03:00

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

2008-04-22T08:48:00.000-03:00

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

2008-04-17T16:52:00.000-03:00

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

2008-04-12T17:23:00.000-03:00

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

2008-04-11T23:03:00.000-03:00

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

2008-04-04T09:31:00.000-03:00

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

2008-03-29T14:37:00.000-03:00

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

2008-03-29T07:16:00.000-03:00

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

2008-03-14T18:00:00.000-02:00

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

2008-03-10T18:56:00.001-02:00

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

2008-03-06T10:13:00.000-02:00

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

2008-02-22T13:49:00.000-02:00

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

2008-02-21T05:39:00.000-02:00

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

2008-02-20T15:49:00.002-02:00

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

2008-02-19T08:44:00.001-02:00

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

2008-02-19T07:40:00.000-02:00

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

2008-02-18T13:35:00.000-02:00

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

2008-02-18T05:47:00.001-02:00

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

2008-02-16T07:15:00.001-02:00

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

2008-02-12T12:31:00.000-02:00

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

2008-01-31T05:36:00.000-02:00

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

2008-01-19T12:50:00.000-02:00

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

2008-01-19T06:05:00.000-02:00

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

2008-01-10T11:37:00.000-02:00

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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La CE pide a los Veintisiete la autorización de tres maíces y una patata transgénicos

2007-12-19T08:44:00.000-03:00

La Comisión Europea transmitió hoy una petición de autorización al Consejo de la UE a los Estados miembros para que dé su visto bueno al utilización en la UE de tres variantes de maíz transgénico para alimentación, importación y transformación industrial y de una patata transgénica, en este caso para su procesamiento industrial, aunque con un límite permitido de contaminación del 0,9% en los alimentos.

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EU Commission sends proposals to ministers for authorisation of GM potato, maize

2007-12-18T10:23:00.000-03:00

The European Commission said it has transmitted proposals to ministers for the authorisation of four genetically modified (GM) maize and potato products.

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Frankenstein food beats starvation

2007-12-07T16:39:00.000-03:00

AS we eat our chips, hamburgers and milkshakes for lunch today, let's put the debate about genetically modified food into perspective. We eat food laden in fats and preservatives largely without debate or complaint. Yet the prospect of producing GM foods that could be drought resistant, grown without being heavily treated with pesticide and made more nutritious has caused a huge outcry.

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The GM potato war

2007-11-24T15:11:00.000-03:00

Colin Barras explains the latest row triggered by genetic modification.

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Europa autorizaría siembra de papa modificada genéticamente

2007-11-13T07:02:00.001-03:00

Se trata de la papa Amflora, diseñada para su uso como almidón industrial. Sería el primer producto genéticamente modificado cuyo cultivo se autorice en la Unión Europea desde hace casi un decenio y podría generar 30 millones de euros (US$43,7 millones) en ganancias anuales a BASF.

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BASF's Amflora Potato Delivers Gene-Modified Profits (Update4)

2007-11-08T05:34:00.000-03:00

BASF AG, the world's largest chemical maker, is weeks away from challenging European resistance to genetically modified plants with a potato that will reap profit and share gains along with other bio-engineered crops.

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Has GMs time finally come

2007-11-06T05:08:00.000-03:00

Extreme weather caused massive crop damage this year. Some European farmers think GM could be the answer. But is the UK consumer ready to embrace Frankenfoods, asks Nic Paton Genetically modified foods have sparked much controversy in the UK over the past decade.

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Cyprus says no to GM food

2007-10-22T14:19:00.000-03:00

The European Union is divided by two regarding GM foods. This was announced during the voting of experts from the 27 member states, held last week. Then it had to be decided whether the German company BASF should receive permission to grow genetically modified potatoes, a newspaper, issued by the Russian community in Cyprus reads.

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Impulso oficial a los transgénicos en Viña del Mar

2007-10-22T05:16:00.000-03:00

Las transnacionales del negocio de los transgénicos, y los científicos que trabajan para ellas, apoyados por FAO, (Organización de Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación), inician el lunes 22 de octubre el "VI Encuentro Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Biotecnología Agropecuaria" o RedBio2007, en el Hotel Sheraton Miramar de Viña del Mar (...) Este evento que cada tres años sacraliza la alianza entre transnacionales, científicos y gobiernos, trae entre sus máximos expositores a figuras ampliamente cuestionadas en sus naciones de origen. William Roca, del Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP) de Perú recibirá la medalla RedBio por el lanzamiento de la papa Bt, una papa transgénica dada a conocer en julio de este año, manipulada genéticamente para resistir a enfermedades como el tizón y la rancha, cuyo cultivo contaminará irreversiblemente las valiosas variedades nativas.

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Polémica en Europa por la utilización de una papa transgénica

2007-10-13T13:06:00.000-03:00

Los científicos de los Estados miembros de la Unión Europea no lograron ponerse de acuerdo el miércoles sobre la utilización de una papa transgénica cuyos residuos sería destinados a la alimentación animal, una controvertida cuestión que también divide a la Comisión Europea.

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Against The Grain: 'GM crops do not harm health'

2007-10-12T07:01:00.000-03:00

Chris Leaver is Sibthorpian Professor of Plant Science at Oxford University. He argues that genetically modified food is safe and necessary.

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Los expertos trasladan a los países la decisión de autorizar la patata transgénica y otros 3 OGM

2007-10-10T21:49:00.000-03:00

Los expertos de los 27 Estados miembros que forman parte del Comité Permanente para la Cadena Alimentaria y la Salud Animal no lograron hoy tomar ninguna decisión, ni a favor ni en contra, para autorizar el uso en la UE de tres tipos de maíz trangénico y la patata modificada transgénicamente.

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La UE decidirá mañana si permite restos accidentales de patata OGM en los alimentos

2007-10-08T21:51:00.000-03:00

Los expertos de la UE -representados en el Comité Permanente de la Cadena Alimentaria- votarán mañana, miércoles, la autorización o no de una patata transgénica para usar su fécula como piensos, y si se permite su presencia accidental en hasta un 0,9% de alimentos convencionales.

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Potato at heart of new debate on GM crops

2007-10-04T06:06:00.000-03:00

HE humble potato looks like causing a showdown in the European Commission over biotech foods and crops. Since July, the biotech industry has been waiting for the commission to authorise an application by German chemicals group BASF for a genetically modified (GM) potato for use in industry, rather than as food.

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Patata OMG tolerante al frío

2007-09-21T05:50:00.000-03:00

Investigadores norteamericanos y coreanos han desarrollado una patata transgénica, transformada con el gen AtBCF de la planta Arabidopsis thaliana que induce resistencia al frío, así como otro gen promotor que aumenta la expresión de este gen. Las plantas OMG así obtenidas pueden soportar temperaturas de hasta 5 grados bajo cero y mantienen buenas aptitudes agronómicas.

Los esfuerzos anteriores para obtener patatas tolerantes al frío mediante métodos genéticos convencionales no habían tenido éxito o habían resultado en patatas con características indeseables, como retrasos en el crecimiento o en la floración.

Esta misma biotecnología podría ser empleada para inducir tolerancia al frío en otras especies agrícolas.

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Return of GM: ministers back moves to grow crops in UK

2007-09-17T08:54:00.000-03:00

Government ministers have given their backing to a renewed campaign by farmers and industry to introduce genetically modified crops to the UK, the Guardian has learned.

They believe the public will now accept that the technology is vital to the development of higher-yield and hardier food for the world's increasing population and will help produce crops that can be used as biofuels in the fight against climate change.

"GM will come back to the UK; the question is how it comes back, not whether it's coming back," said a senior government source.

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Genetically Modified: how the EU embraces “frankenstein foods”

2007-09-08T04:29:00.000-03:00

Europe has been resistant to products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs), insisting on the worlds toughest labelling regime and outraging the US who accuse them of violating free trade agreements over the products.

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Views and Analysis

2007-08-18T04:56:00.000-03:00

Professor Howard Davies, Director of Science Co-ordination at SCRI, was recently interviewed on the subject of GM crops in Scotland. The interview coincided with the announcement that scientists at SCRI had won a share of a £400,000 project to research techniques relevant for the safety assessment of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). The research is being funded by the Food Standards Agency.

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Patata transgénica: una nueva amenaza para Europa

2007-08-06T14:41:00.000-03:00

Se plantean nuevas amenazas para los consumidores europeos. La Comisión Europea está decidida a ignorar su opinión y seguir introduciendo nuevos cultivos modificados genéticamente (MG) en Europa. No es suficiente con el maíz, ahora la Comisión se dispone a imponer, sin el apoyo de los países miembros, el cultivo de una patata transgénica. Su aprobación supondría el primer cultivo transgénico autorizado en la Unión Europea (UE) desde hace diez años.

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Europe opposes the entry of GM potato

2007-08-06T14:35:00.001-03:00

European environmental groups are critical of Amflora potatoes, saying they could release dangerous genes into the environment.

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EC to approve starch-rich GM potato

2007-07-25T10:55:00.000-03:00

The European Commission has announced that it will approve BASF's Amflora genetically modified potato to be grown in Europe, the first authorisation for the growing of a GM crop in Europe since 1998.

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Perú: apoyo urgente !!! “No a la papa transgénica”

2007-07-24T21:42:00.000-03:00

La papa es originaria de los Andes, con una altísima biodiversidad y presencia de parientes silvestres en Perú. La papa es el cultivo más importante en la región andina y está asociado no sólo con la soberanía alimentaria de los pueblos, sino con las relaciones de reciprocidad y de fortalecimiento del tejido social comunitario. Por lo que la sola experimentación con papa transgénica en un país que es centro de origen y diversidad, es poner en riesgo no sólo a la rica biodiversidad existente, sino a las poblaciones humanas que sustentan esa diversidad.

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Malta loses battle to stop cultivation of GM potato

2007-07-23T09:56:00.000-03:00

Along with 10 other EU member States, Malta lost its battle against the approval of the cultivation of GM potatoes.

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Untested, Risky Genetically Modified Potato Banned

2007-07-19T09:10:00.000-03:00

A major region of Peru has banned genetically modified (GM) varieties of a crop that has been grown organically for thousands of years and which helped to fuel the ancient Inca empire.

The Cusco regional government's Order 010 is intended to protect the genetic diversity of thousands of native potato varieties. It forbids the sale, cultivation, use and transport of GM potatoes as well as other native food crops.

The potato originated in the highlands of South America. Peru and its Andean neighbours are the crop's centre of diversity - with more than 4,000 distinct varieties that farmers have developed over generations.

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Ministers wary of hot GM potato

2007-07-16T07:21:00.000-03:00

The European Union is expected to sidestep hostile public opinion by approving the cultivation of a genetically modified crop via the "back door" of a bureaucratic Brussels procedure.

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Greenpeace pide a la UE que no autorice el cultivo de una patata transgénica

2007-07-13T20:42:00.000-03:00

Greenpeace pidió hoy a la Unión Europea que rechace la propuesta de la Comisión para permitir el cultivo de una patata modificada genéticamente que se empleará para la producción de almidón y pienso alegando que contiene genes que la hacen resistente a los antibióticos y supone por ello un riesgo significativo para la salud y el medioambiente.

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Estrategias para la coexistencia de cultivos GM y no-GM

2007-07-12T10:42:00.000-03:00

La coexistencia de sistemas de cultivo convencional, orgánico y genéticamente modificado (GM) es importante por varias razones. Esta clase de sistema ayuda a explotar oportunidades de mercado, mantener valores culturales diferentes, proteger la diversidad biológica y hacer frente a condiciones ambientales variables. Pero no hay ninguna solución fácil, o un modelo extensamente aceptado, para poner en práctica la coexistencia. Los cultivos genéticamente modificados pueden ser espacial o temporalmente separados de aquellos no-GM, y el etiquetado es visto cada vez más como algo esencial para proteger la elección de consumidor. Pero las estrategias de coexistencia son escasas todavía en la mayor parte del mundo en desarrollo. Los responsables de formular las políticas necesitan desarrollar reglas que sean proporcionadas, eficientes, rentables y específicas para sistemas de cultivo y de cosecha particulares.

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Científicos peruanos crean papa resistente a polillas

2007-07-07T11:16:00.000-03:00

Después de cuatro años intermitentes de investigaciones, científicos del Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP) anunciaron ayer la obtención, mediante ingeniería genética, de una variedad de papa resistente a los insectos, con lo cual se habría logrado la primera especie transgénica del Perú.

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BASF disappointed at Amflora decision delay

2007-06-30T11:27:00.001-03:00

BASF is standing by the safety of its Amflora genetically optimised starch potato as the EU Council of Ministers postpones its decision on commercial optimisation, and urges swifter adoption of new technologies for the bloc.

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A discussion: GM crops: 'Point of no return in ten years'

2007-06-29T12:10:00.000-03:00

EUROPE will increase its genetically modified (GMO) crop area by 50,000-100,000 hectares a year over the next decade, US biotech giant Monsanto has said.

"It will be slow but within ten years GMOs will have reached the point of no return," said Jean-Michel Duhamel, Monsanto's director for southern Europe.

"The technology will not impose itself on consumers but consumers will better understand the usefulness of GMO technology as farmers increasingly adopt it," he added.

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GMO potato takes shape in EU, no French fries yet

2007-06-07T09:30:00.000-03:00

European regulators are pushing ahead with plans to allow farmers to grow a genetically modified (GMO) potato but focusing first on its use in feed and non-food industries due to opposition from several GMO-wary countries.

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BASF hopes for EU approval for genetically modified potato Amflora in 2007

2007-06-04T10:03:00.000-03:00

BASF AG plans to expand its research in plant technology and is hoping to obtain EU approval for its genetically modified potato - Amflora - in 2007, reported Handelsblatt newspaper in an interview with board member Peter Oakley, in an excerpt of an article due for publication on Monday.

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Latinoamérica debe abrir los ojos a la biotecnología

2007-06-03T10:07:00.000-03:00

La biotecnología o el uso de la biología con fines industriales es una actividad "beneficiosa para la humanidad" ante la que Latinoamérica debe "abrir los ojos", según coincidieron varios expertos en un congreso sobre comercio en Miami. En la conferencia "La biotecnología en el proceso de globalización", del XXVIII Congreso Hemisférico de la Cámara de Comercio Latina de EE.UU. (Camacol), que termina hoy, se analizó el papel de la biotecnología y su impacto en Latinoamérica.

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GM Crops Good for Swedish Farm Economy

2007-06-01T10:20:00.001-03:00

There is no cultivation of Genetically Modified (GM) crops in Sweden today but prospects for future cultivation look good. According to a recent report from the Swedish Institute for Food and Agricultural Economics (SLI), cultivating GM crops would be economically profitable for Swedish farmers. SLI is a government agency commissioned to carry out economic analyses within the fields of agriculture, foods and fishing.

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Debate on GM food becoming a political fight

2007-06-01T10:18:00.000-03:00

The genetically modified (GM) food issue continues to raise its head, with the result that more and more public comment comes along. In principle, public comment is good, but public comment should not intrude deeper into the issue than the public can comprehend, or than it is able to add value. For example, if there is public comment on heart transplants, that is good – if the comment is about the ethics of transplants, and which hospitals should be equipped to handle such work.

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Southern Africa: GMO Products Spread in SADC - Study

2007-05-22T12:29:00.000-03:00

GENETICALLY Modified Organism products and seed are fast spreading into most Southern African countries which lack the technological capacity to screen and detect GMOs, a new study has revealed.

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GM potato crop trial approved

2007-05-14T10:15:00.000-03:00

Biotech firm BASF has been given permission to grow genetically modified potatoes at a farm near Hull. It will use a one-hectare site between Preston and Hedon, east of Hull, to grow up to 45,000 GM potatoes a year until 2011. A petition signed by 600 people has expressed concerns, including the risk of GM potatoes cross-pollinating with non-GM crops.

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India: GM potato to reduce blight disease

2007-05-10T09:44:00.000-03:00

Introduction of genetically modified potato seeds would reduce damages due to occurrence of the blight disease, said a senior scientist at the Shimla-based Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI).

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India: Supreme Court lifts 8-month ban on field trials of GM crops

2007-05-09T10:48:00.000-03:00

One of the riders for conducting future field trials would require the company to disclose a detailed report of the toxicity and allergenicity of the GM-crops being cultivated.

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GM crops trials return to UK farms

2007-05-04T14:13:00.000-03:00

Trials of genetically modified crops are taking place again in the UK three years after being abandoned over ecological concerns. A crop of GM potatoes was planted last weekend and a report commissioned by the Government calls for a change in the way agriculture is regulated in the UK.

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Golden potatoes engineered to give beta-carotene boost

2007-04-27T13:15:00.000-03:00

A 250 gram serving of "Golden" Potatoes, engineered to produce high quantities of of the pro-vitamin A beta-carotene, could provide half the recommended daily intake of vitamin A, suggests new research.

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Patata dorada” OMG, rica en beta-caroteno, obtenida en Italia

2007-04-25T09:22:00.000-03:00

El instituto público de investigación italiano ENEA (Ente per le Nuove tecnologie, l’Energia e l’Ambiente) ha anunciado la obtención conjunta con la Universidad de Friburgo de de una patata transgénica que contiene 3.600 veces más beta-caroteno o provitamina A que las patatas convencionales.

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Non GM Potatoes planted at Hedon test site

2007-04-22T16:15:00.000-03:00

Protesters are planting non-GM potatoes in the field near Hull where BASF intend to trial their GM potato variety. About 100 protesters are spread across the large (several acre) field, with two mounted police and 2 foot police standing by watching - not even filming, for once.

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¿Por qué los organismos transgénicos son diferentes a los convencionales?

2007-04-20T09:29:00.000-03:00

La diseminación de organismos transgénicos como alimentos causa alarma y preocupación, pues existen argumentos para señalar que su aprobación ha girado en torno a un dejar hacer y dejar pasar de la comunidad científica internacional y de las entidades reguladoras.

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GM Potatoes - Blessing or Blight?

2007-04-12T11:42:00.001-03:00

On Monday 2 April, Cambridge GM Concern organized a public meeting regarding the forthcoming NIAB/BASF trial of GM potatoes in the Cambridge area. Some fifty people turned up for the event, which featured three speakers, who had travelled up from London for the occasion: Michael Antoniou is a Reader in Molecular Genetics at Guy's Hospital Medical School, Helena Paul is the chair of GM Freeze, and Clare Oxborrow is from the Real Food Campaign organized by Friends of the Earth.

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Protesters urge GM trials delay

2007-04-04T09:55:00.000-03:00

PROTESTERS against genetically modified potatoes held a public meeting last night to highlight what they see as the dangers of meddling with nature.

German company BASF plans to plant blight resistant potatoes on land owned by the Cambridgebased National Institute of Agricultural Botany later in the spring.

But Friends of the Earth wants the Government to reconsider after a Dutch court ruled earlier this month that BASF's permit for trials in Holland breached European law.

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GM Potato Controversy - A case with disturbing implications for present day science

2007-03-29T09:33:00.000-03:00

Editor's note: We thank Dr. Arpad J. Pusztai very much for his article. Dr. Pusztai has been directly involved as a principal investigator in the researching of GM potatoes and what he told here is absolutely an insider story.

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Interview: Jonathan Matthews from GM-Watch on Channel 4's 'Animal Farm'

2007-03-24T09:52:00.000-03:00

This week marked the start of Channel 4's three-part documentary, 'Animal Farm'. We asked Jonathan Matthews, founder and editor of the GM-Watch website, whether Channel 4's reporting was fair.

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Is Monsanto Going to Seed?

2007-03-24T09:51:00.001-03:00

Many people like to consider Monsanto (NYSE: MON) part of the brave new world of biotech. However, the company has long been shrouded in controversy, and there could be more in store.

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GMOs unfit for consumption

2007-03-24T09:43:00.000-03:00

The work of press agents consists of not just getting the media to carry news favorable to their clients, but also to suppress information inimical to their business. Jargon in the traditional newsroom has an aptly descriptive phrase for it: “Kill story!”

One story that has suffered down play—as of this writing—comes from a scientific study, which found that genetically modified (GM) corn approved by Philippine authorities shows signs of toxicity to mammals. The giant agribusiness multinational Monsanto markets the GM corn in several countries, including ours, for animal feeds, food processing and human consumption.

That the issue has a direct bearing on public health should be apparent. Yet many major news organizations failed to give it the prominence it obviously deserves—if they ran the story at all.

The study, written by a panel of three scientists in France, showed that laboratory rats fed with GMO corn Monsanto (MON) 863 YieldGard Rootwom displayed kidney and liver toxicity.

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GM starch potato: still no cultivation in 2007

2007-03-24T09:42:00.000-03:00

The Amflora potato, developed by BASF Plant Science with an altered starch composition, apparently may not yet be cultivated this year in the EU. As reported by the magazine Agrar Europe, the European Commission has requested an opinion from the European Medicines Agency, EMEA, as prerequisite to an approval decision.

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