In a major turnaround, the US company AquaBounty says it will stop producing its controversial GM salmon in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. “This is a huge victory for everyone in PEI and across Canada who protested against this dangerous technology,” said Sharon Labchuk of the coalition GMO Free PEI. “Genetically modified fish are unnecessary and risky.” AquaBounty has raised just two “cohorts” of its GM salmon at their only Canadian production site, on land at Rollo Bay, PEI. This facility was the world’s first purpose-built GM fish factory. The company says it will now convert its Rollo Bay site to producing non-GM salmon eggs for aquaculture companies, though AquaBounty will continue to produce GM salmon eggs in PEI for grow-out at its remaining GM salmon factory in Indiana, US. GMWatch

 

 

Are you ready to spin the wheel of fortune and gamble with the safety of your food? The EU Commission, pushed by agribusiness, certainly is. Their plans to deregulate "new GMOs" would mean no more safety checks or labelling requirements for GM foods and plants. More than 400,000 European citizens signed a petition asking the Commission to protect their right to choose what they produce and eat. The petition was handed over today in front of a "wheel of fortune" to Klaus Berend from the Commission. Friends of the Earth Europe on Twitter @foeeurope

 

 

Herbicides are only cursorily tested for effects on non-target arthropods as the assumption is that herbicides only kill insects indirectly by killing its host plants. However, a new study shows that direct oral exposure can be highly relevant for systemic pesticides such as glyphosate-based herbicides. In crop systems including glyphosate-tolerant GM crops, these herbicides and their breakdown products are ingested by crop-associated beneficial insects. The study tested the effects of oral uptake of the Roundup formulation WeatherMax on larvae of the lacewing Chrysoperla carnea, below the recommended application doses. Long-term oral exposure of C. carnea larvae throughout its juvenile life stages resulted in developmental arrest, impaired cocoon formation and high mortality. Third World Network via GMWatch

 

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