20/September/21

 

As we recently reported, five hundred tonnes of Indian GMO rice have been mistakenly used in many countries to make, among other things, sweets for Mars, the world's leading confectionary manufacturer. No GMO rice has been authorised for consumption in the EU and so the affected products that are being sold in the European Union are being recalled. The fact that the rice originated in India surprised many, including us at GMWatch, as no GM rice has been commercialised in India. However, a 2015 report by Dr Ranjitsinh Mane, an agricultural economist at the University of Arkansas's Rice Research and Extension Center, provides a possible explanation for the contamination – GMO field trials. GMWatch

 

 

There are an estimated 385 million cases of acute pesticide poisonings each year. That means about 44% of farmers and agricultural workers around the world are poisoned annually. And those numbers could rise if we don’t stop Bayer’s latest power grab. Right now, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is trying to create a formal partnership with CropLife International - the mega lobbying group that represents Bayer, Syngenta and over 300 pesticide companies. Sign the petition demanding that FAO stop the toxic alliance with CropLife. SumOfUs

 

 

GMWatch comment: A GMO promotional article in the Observer by Sainsbury Laboratory director Nick Talbot repeats the industry talking points on gene editing (all of which are debunked in this report. Crucially, the article makes clear that deregulating gene editing is just the start for the UK government's agenda. If the government is allowed to get its way, this will be followed by the deregulation of all GM techniques, to line up the UK with the US. As the article's subhead states, "As the UK prepares to approve genome editing, a leading food scientist argues it should also ease up on GM crops". GMWatch comment on article in the Observer