10/January/22

 

Glyphosate causes blood-testis barrier damage and low quality sperm via a destructive process called oxidative stress, shows a new study in rats and rat testicular cells. The study, conducted over 4 months, suggests that medium- to long-term exposure to glyphosate is a potential risk for male reproductive health. GMWatch

 

 

Sanatech's CRISPR gene-edited tomato engineered to contain higher levels of a sedative substance, GABA, is being sold on the open market in Japan. While GABA is reportedly viewed as a health-promoting substance in Japan, findings in studies are mixed and there are no studies at all showing that eating the gene-edited tomato has health benefits or is safe to eat. In addition, on the horizon is the purple tomato developed by Cathie Martin at the John Innes Centre in the UK using older-style transgenic GM. Martin says she expects a regulatory decision from the USDA by the end of February for her purple tomatoes, which also have not been shown to be safe to eat. GMWatch

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GM developers at the John Innes Centre have requested permission to plant highly experimental GM wheat in an open field near Norwich. Wheat has a particular tendency to escape from field trials. As wheat is a staple crop, any escape could cause havoc for our farmers, millers and bakers, as well as putting our health at risk. This open-air experiment, which follows on from a two-year trial just ended, aims to increase levels of iron and zinc in white flour. Adding two nutrients to foods like white sliced bread and doughnuts will work against efforts to improve health by encouraging people to eat a balanced diet rich in whole grains and vegetables. Please use GM Freeze's guide and take part in the public consultation on this risky and pointless trial, before Sunday 30 January. GM Freeze

 

 

To build a more sustainable future amid successive droughts, Utah farmer Stan Jensen is breaking with generations of conventional farming by changing over to best practices drawn from organic farming, permaculture and other sustainable practices. Jensen believes these practices can help the family farm weather the dry years ahead on several levels. When asked why more agricultural producers don’t move toward holistic farming practices, Jensen said there is no manual. “You know who’s educating us?” Jensen said, “Monsanto spends a billion dollars a year educating us. Bayer spends a tremendous amount. That’s where our education comes from.” The Salt Lake Tribune

 

 

With growing weed resistance to glyphosate and a lack of information on alternative production methods, farmers are stuck on a chemical treadmill, applying more and more of this chemical. A Health Canada proposal to accommodate increased glyphosate use by allowing glyphosate residues in food to increase as much as four-fold was only beaten back temporarily after a massive public outcry. The US Department of Agriculture says 90 per cent of the corn and soybeans grown in that country are genetically modified, with many specifically engineered to tolerate spraying with herbicides such as glyphosate. rabble.ca

 

 

There is a general consensus that laboratory modifications of self-spreading viruses are genetically too unstable to be used safely and predictably outside contained facilities. However, a new publication warns that this decades-old evidence-based norm is being eroded, opening the door to risky research. A range of recent proposals on the release of GM viruses that retain the capacity to spread between individual vertebrate hosts raise biosafety, ethical and biosecurity concerns. In agriculture, for example, self-spreading viruses have been proposed as insecticides, or as vectors to modify planted crops. In health care, self-spreading viruses have been promoted as vaccines. Third World Network Biosafety Information Centre