The European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER) says it has "serious reservations" about the position of “no critical areas of concern” adopted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on the herbicide active ingredient glyphosate and the European Commission’s subsequent proposal to renew its market approval. ENSSER writes in a statement, "We note that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and subsequently EFSA have neglected to consider extensive, damning scientific evidence from laboratory studies, which demonstrate that glyphosate and its commercial formulations can give rise to toxicity and serious diseases through different mechanisms of action. This includes induction of fatty liver disease, oxidative stress, DNA damage, neurological damage and cancer." The scientists say that based on the precautionary principle, glyphosate should not be re-approved in the EU. GMWatch

 

 

British TV doctor Chris van Tulleken has initiated a thread on the UK's Science Media Centre (SMC) and its industry funding that is both well informed and highly critical. The focus is on the SMC's defence of ultra-processed food in the face of much evidence that it's harmful, though the Centre has also routinely defended and promoted GMOs. Don't miss this reply thread and some excellent reporting on the SMC in the BMJ. GMWatch comment on Chris van Tulleken on Twitter @DoctorChrisVT

 

 

A longstanding pioneer of regenerative agriculture in Europe, Spain's Asociación de Agricultura Regenerativa (the Spanish Regenerative Agriculture Association), has written an open letter to Bayer, prompted by its claimed aim to “lead the regenerative agriculture sector” with a combination of seeds, inputs and apps. They say Bayer's strategy "is being developed within the business model that perpetuates producers’ dependency on toxic inputs and costly technologies with uncertain impacts", yet the company is calling it "regenerative agriculture", while ignoring the many examples of genuinely regenerative practices that have been developed by farmers over the years and that are currently in use. The Association says regenerative agriculture should not include GMOs or glyphosate (astonishingly, Bayer is claiming that glyphosate is a key tool for regenerative agriculture!). Spanish Regenerative Agriculture Association

 

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