04/November/21

 

Health and cancer groups have urged the French government to publicly clarify its position regarding the health risks posed by world’s top-selling herbicide glyphosate, in the context of the ongoing EU renewal process of the substance. France and the three other rapporteur member states leading on the evaluation process of glyphosate recently released their preliminary conclusions, which find the herbicide meets the approval criteria for human health. But this represents a major U-turn to the country’s position, since it voted against the substance's renewal in 2017 out of concerns for human health. GMWatch

 

 

Research shows an early warning of field-evolved resistance to the Bt toxin Vip3Aa in Helicoverpa zea (corn earworm and bollworm). The researchers propose the prohibition of selling and planting field corn hybrids that produce Vip3Aa in the cotton-growing regions of the United States, in order to limit selection for resistance to Vip3Aa in corn, where H. zea is not a major economic pest, in the hope that it could help preserve efficacy against H. zea in cotton, where it is a major economic pest. Third World Network via GMWatch

 

 

Owen Paterson has resigned as an MP after a row over his conduct led to a government U-turn. The Conservative was found to have broken lobbying rules and was facing suspension – until Tory MPs blocked it by calling for an overhaul of the MPs' standards watchdog instead. They initially had the backing of No 10, but Downing Street reversed its decision after a furious backlash. Paterson said he now wanted a life "outside the cruel world of politics". [GMW: Paterson was a determined lobbyist for GMOs and pesticides. In the lobbying row he was found to have been corrupt – see yesterday's Daily Digest.] BBC News