06/September/21

 

In April this year the European Commission published a "working document" in which it announced that the EU's GMO regulations are "not fit for purpose". The Commission made suggestions that could lead to crop plants produced using experimental new GM techniques such as gene editing being exempted from the requirements of the regulation. This could mean that these crop plants would not be subjected to safety checks, GMO labelling, or traceability and monitoring requirements. Now 57 groups, consisting of non-governmental organisations (including GMWatch), a peasant farmer organisation, and business and trade associations, have sent a response to the Commission, strongly opposing its plans on the grounds that "deregulation of new GM techniques would pose unacceptable risks to human and animal health and the environment. Deregulation would also prohibit citizens from knowing what they are eating and farmers from knowing what they are sowing." GMWatch

 

 

In the US, some farmers (including organic ones) are planting hybrid rye as a cover crop to break up weed cycles and diversify their crop portfolio. Herbicides are not needed. But other farmers are reluctant to step out of the corn-soybean lane. The majority of farmers taking part in the 2017 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll agreed that so-called "small grains" were good for soil health and helped break up pest cycles, but just 28 percent felt that such rotations could be as profitable as the corn-soybean duoculture. Ways of helping along the revolution are public plant breeding that can support diverse crop rotations and the political will to funnel tax dollars into helping landscape diversity. Iowa organic farmer Tom Frantzen, who plants hybrid rye, says, "This is about accepting the reality that agriculture must evolve to stay viable." Civil Eats

 

 

A just-published report from the UK's Regulatory Horizons Council recommends deregulation of gene edited and other new GM crops, animals and microbes in agriculture. Beyond GM commented on Twitter that the report is "Another sloppy attempt at simplifying a complex subject". Pat Thomas of Beyond GM's more detailed comments are reproduced in a Farmers Weekly article. She says the report is "a worrying prequel to Defra’s soon-to-be published consultation report". Farmers Weekly

 

 

New! CBAN Action Brief: Stop Corporate Self-Regulation of GMOs. Take action in Canada before Sept 16. CBAN