11/March/21

 

The EU Parliament has again voted with a huge majority against further market approvals for genetically engineered plants. Substantial gaps in the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) risk assessment were identified. In earlier votes, EU member states also voted overwhelmingly against market approvals. Consequently, there is growing pressure on the EU Commission for much closer scrutiny of EFSA findings and applications for market approval. GMWatch

 

 

An important new report shows Europe’s ban on patenting conventionally bred crops and animals is being circumvented by corporations such as BASF, Bayer-Monsanto, DowDupont (Corteva), and Syngenta, who are seeking to exploit legal loopholes in European patent law by systematically blurring the boundaries between conventional breeding and genetic engineering. No Patents on Seeds!

 

 

Although India’s organic cotton farmers can take a hit on yields, giving up GM cotton and the pesticides used with it can give them multiple other benefits, says Purdue University anthropologist Andrew Flachs, who has made an in-depth study of GM and organic cotton production in India. He writes, “At a time when agriculture as a way of life and a global economic system is reaching a breaking point across much of India, farmers and rural professionals who learn to value these systemic changes are building the blueprint for an alternative vision of success.” Sapiens

 

 

A recent scientific publication shows that CRISPR/Cas gene editing in mice can lead to unintentional epigenomic changes, which persist over many generations. The publication describes CRISPR/Cas experiments with mice in which their DNA is cut and additional genetic information inserted. Besides intended changes in DNA in the target region, researchers found unintended changes in so-called epigenetic markers. Epigenetic markers determine which genes are activated or silenced in certain cells and tissues, so they influence gene expression. Third World Network

 

 

Glyphosate residues in soils can substantially interfere with plant resistance to pests and pathogens, as well as disrupting both fungal and insect biological control – which are all essential elements in integrated pest management and healthy ecosystems, a new study shows. Trends in Plant Science