13/October/21

 

Given Boris Johnson's gung-ho enthusiasm for "liberating" GM crops and foods from EU rules, it's interesting to note that the Westminster government's first steps following the public consultation have been more tentative than many expected. While we've seen reams of hype from the government on the supposedly miraculous powers of gene editing, the details of what is actually going to change in terms of the GMO regulations themselves are relatively low-key so far. We examine the possible reasons why. GMWatch

 

 

Cuba was recently ranked as the one of most sustainably developed countries in the world, according to the Sustainable Development Index. (The US ranked 160th out of 164 countries in the same study.) Most of the farms in Cuba are organic. A recent study showed that Cuban waterways are much cleaner than those in the US, partly due to the lack of synthetic fertilizer and pesticide runoff. According to modern industrial agribusiness, the “go big or go home” mentality of corn, soybeans, and war-grade chemicals is the only path to “progress” in the agricultural world. But Cuban agriculture is proving that there is another way. People's World

 

 

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stands accused of "crimes against humanity" at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his alleged role in the destruction of the Amazon, the first case seeking to explicitly link deforestation to loss of life. AllRise, an environmental law organization, filed the official complaint at The Hague-based court Tuesday morning. They asked for legal proceedings against Bolsonaro and his administration for actions "directly connected to the negative impacts of climate change around the world." [GMW: Much of the deforestation is to clear land for the planting of GM soy.] CBS News

 

 

The UK is by far Europe’s biggest exporter of toxic banned pesticides to poorer countries, an Unearthed and Public Eye investigation has revealed. It found that EU countries issued plans in 2018 to export more than 81,000 tonnes of pesticides containing chemicals prohibited in their own fields. Poorer countries like South Africa, Ukraine, and Brazil – where experts warn hazardous pesticide use poses the greatest risks – were the intended destination for the bulk of shipments. Unearthed