26/October/21

 

The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) has outlined its position in a paper published in October on the intention of the EU Commission to evaluate new legislative proposals for the regulation of certain new GM techniques in plants, reports Testbiotech. The paper concludes that these plants have a similar or even greater risk potential than plants obtained from older genetic engineering techniques. According to the BfN, a high level of safety can only be ensured with a case-by-case analysis as required in current genetic engineering legislation, especially since there is no or only very limited experience with the deliberate release of these plants and their products. Testbiotech via GMWatch

 

 

The EU Commission's public consultation on its plans to deregulate the GM techniques of gene editing and cisgenesis closed on 22 October. In total, 69,000 citizens wrote in – the vast majority to voice their opposition to the plans. Well done everyone who participated! GMWatch

 

 

In a laboratory study, researchers found that so-called "inert" spray adjuvants increased bee mortality when applied as a tank mix with insecticides. In total, 50% of all combinations significantly increased the mortality of caged honeybees in comparison with individual application of insecticides. In contrast, none of the adjuvants alone affected bee mortality. Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection

 

 

Jeffrey Smith, Tim LaSalle and Elaine Ingham will lead an expert briefing at the National Press Club on 26 October at 2 pm EST. They’ll discuss how regenerative agriculture can stabilise the climate, rebuild our soil, enrich our food, and foster healthier ecosystems. Register here: https://protectnaturenow.com/regenagcatalyst/ IRT

 

 

A top NIH official admitted in a letter that US taxpayers funded gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses in Wuhan and revealed that EcoHealth Alliance, the US non-profit that funnelled NIH money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, was not transparent about the work it was doing. Yahoo! News