30/May/22

 

Health and environmental organisations have expressed severe concerns after the European Chemicals Agency’s Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) concluded that the widely used pesticide active substance glyphosate (the main ingredient of Roundup herbicide) does not meet the criteria to be labeled as a carcinogenic or genotoxic agent. According to three independent scientists who attended the RAC meetings alongside the civil society organisations, there are major incoherences in the EU’s scientific evaluation of the genotoxicity and carcinogenicity potential of glyphosate. GMWatch

 

 

A study has highlighted how changes in single genes can impact food webs and ecosystems, as reported by Testbiotech. In the study, the researchers separated out and planted different genetic variants (alleles) of the genetic model organism Arabidopsis thaliana – which would all exist together in natural populations. The outcome was surprising: even a reduction in the diversity of a single gene caused species interacting with the plants to become extinct. The researchers therefore refer to such genes as "keystone genes". These new findings are highly relevant to the discussion on the risks of New GE (New Genetic Engineering). The published study shows that changes in one single "keystone gene" can have far-reaching consequences for ecosystems. GMWatch

 

 

On the first day of his premiership, Boris Johnson vowed to “liberate” GMOs in farming and food from stuffy EU regulations. Last week, after more than a year of hard push, the government laid down the first draft of its Genetic Technologies (Precision Breeding) Bill, which aims to remove almost all regulatory controls, including comprehensive risk assessment, from genetically engineered crops, livestock and foods. On first glance the Bill, which applies to England only, would seem to offer some basic protections. But as always, the devil is in the detail, Pat Thomas writes. For example, clear provisions for labelling precision bred foods – once considered vital for choice and transparency – have fallen away, prompting reports of consumer fury. Reaction

 

 

In a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) court document filed on May 16, the agency signalled potential changes to the labelling it requires for “over the top” (OTT, or post-emergent) herbicides containing dicamba, a problematic pesticide. The filing — in Arizona, where EPA currently faces litigation about its 2020 dicamba registrations — comes as a result of Bayer, Inc.’s March 2022 proposed amendments to EPA registration for its XtendiMax herbicide, which contains dicamba and glyphosate. The EPA is currently considering some dicamba use restrictions after Bayer submitted them to EPA for the 2023 spray season. Purportedly, these amendments involve additional use restrictions in counties that are home to federally listed endangered or threatened species. Beyond Pesticides comments, "If this sounds backward... it is. Why are proposed, piecemeal 'amendments' to use allowances for dicamba coming from companies that make them, rather than from the federal body tasked with regulating pesticide use and protecting human health and the environment? Why does EPA at least appear to be taking its cue from industry?" Beyond Pesticides