In a podcast, Claire Robinson of GMWatch talks with James Freeman of TNT Radio's Freeman Report about the new Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding Bill) Act in the UK and the risks it poses to our food supply. Claire also talks about the powerful GMO lobby and how it has captured governments and the media. PodBean

 

 

The coexistence of gene editing with organic production systems remains a point of contention within the European Commission. While proponents of the technology maintain the two can go hand in hand, the EU’s organics sector warns coexistence requires robust traceability and liability mechanisms. Jan Plagge, president of the EU organics association IFOAM, said that while “minority opinions” exist, there is a “clear majority among organic operators” who consider NGTs to be a “diversion from the systemic agroecological innovations we need to truly improve the sustainability of agriculture”. Speaking of the EU Commission's plan to deregulate new GM techniques (NGTs), IFOAM’s deputy director Eric Gall said, “If the Commission’s proposal takes traceability and transparency away by assimilating NGTs to conventional breeding methods, then there is no 'coexistence' possible and it would amount to imposing the use of NGTs to all farmers, organic or not." EurActiv

 

 

Now "cow's milk" comes from the laboratory. Industrially produced artificial milk, made with genetically engineered microbes, has been launched in the US by the world's largest food company, Nestlé. "Microorganisms are more efficient at producing food than cows," says Swiss entrepreneur Raffael Wohlgensinger, who is about to launch cheese whose raw material is made with the help of GM microbes. "We will launch our cheese alternatives in Germany this year," says the founder of the Berlin-based start-up Formo. Wohlgensinger has already raised around 60 million euros for his start-up. tagesanzeiger.ch (article in German)

 

 

If you think "lab meat" would come with lower emissions than real meat, think again. According to a new cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment, its impact would be orders of magnitude higher (4-25x) than median beef production. Meat produced from cultured cells could be 25 times worse for the climate than regular beef unless scientists find ways to overhaul energy-intensive steps in its production. Lab-grown or “cultivated” meat is made by growing animal stem cells around a scaffold in a nutrient-rich broth. It has been proposed as a kinder and greener alternative to traditional meat because it uses less land, feed, water and antibiotics than animal farming and removes the need to farm and slaughter livestock, which are a major source of greenhouse gases. However, Derrick Risner at the University of California, Davis, and colleagues found that the global warming potential of cultivated meat is 4 to 25 times higher than for regular beef. The researchers conducted a life-cycle assessment of cultivated meat that estimated the energy used in each step in current production methods. They found that the nutrient broth used to culture the animal cells has a large carbon footprint because it contains components like sugars, growth factors, salts, amino acids and vitamins that each come with energy costs. [GMW: GMWatch warned about these issues with lab grown meat back in January 2020! It's good to see New Scientist catching up.] New Scientist (paywalled)

 

 

The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act is now law in the UK. It removes what the government called “regulatory burdens” from certain types of genetically engineered (so-called "precision bred") organisms commonly used in agriculture. The removal of basic regulatory controls such as environmental, health and safety assessments, labelling, traceability and ongoing monitoring would be controversial enough on its own. But what many don’t know – because it has not been widely reported or discussed – is that the scope of the bill extends far beyond the usual handful of commodity crops found on the farm into a wide range of animals, including farmed animals (both land-based and in aquaculture) and pets, as well as to animals and plants found in wider nature. It's not too late to register for a free webinar on these topics, which takes place tomorrow, 10 May, at 13:30-15:00 hrs BST. A Bigger Conversation/Eventbrite

 

 

Childhood obesity and metabolic syndrome have increased at an alarming rate in the United States, specifically among populations of colour. A study by UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health found that children exposed to weedkillers containing glyphosate and AMPA were at a higher risk of liver inflammation and metabolic disorders when the children entered adulthood. AMPA is a degradation product of glyphosate. The research study also stated that exposure to glyphosate and AMPA could cause liver cancer, liver disease, heart disease, diabetes, and other long-term health complications. [GMW: We've reported on this study before but this new article provides a reminder.] The Legal Examiner

 

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible by readers’ donations. Please support our work with a one-off or regular donation. Thank you!