13/July/22

 

GMWatch readers will know Dr Christoph Then from his work at No Patents on Seeds! and Testbiotech. The German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung has published a profile of him and his highly successful work opposing patents on conventionally bred seeds, animals, and foods. He regularly takes on the giants of industry – and wins. He also fights for more controls on genetic engineering. While the original article is in German, you can read an English translation here. Süddeutsche Zeitung

 

 

In Paraguay, in the last 10 years, 40 new GMO events have been released. To this has been added the release of gene-edited organisms, without any discussion about the implications. Regulations have been relaxed to allow the entry of these technologies. A strong land grab has been developed for GMO soybeans and corn and non-GMO wheat, with a large number of evictions, mainly in Indigenous territories, in defiance of the law. Farmlandgrab (Spanish language article)

 

 

While millions starve, 10% of the world's grain and 18% of its vegetable oil are being burnt to feed cars. And governments want to burn far more. It's monstrous, obscene, and a crime against humanity, writes George Monbiot. He says, "From inception, the incentives and rules promoting biofuels on both sides of the Atlantic had little to do with saving the planet and everything to do with political expediency. Angela Merkel pushed for an EU biofuels mandate as a means of avoiding stronger fuel economy standards for German motor manufacturers. In the US, they have long been used to prop up the price of grain and provide farmers with a guaranteed market. That’s why the Biden administration, as the midterm elections loom, remains committed to this cruelty." [GMW: This article is worth reading in full.] The Guardian

 

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