It has been a quarter of a century since corn and soybeans were genetically engineered to withstand the withering mists of the herbicide glyphosate. Initially heralded as a “silver bullet” for weed control, the modified crops and their herbicide companion were quickly and widely adopted across corn and soybean-growing regions of North America. In the years that followed, though, weeds targeted for eradication quietly fomented a rebellion. A new PNAS Nexus study led by scientists from the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign takes a retrospective look at glyphosate efficacy after the GM crops were commercialised. Amassing data from annual herbicide evaluation trials at land-grant universities across the US and Canada, the researchers show a significant and rapid decline in glyphosate control for all seven major weed species they examined. “Our analysis represents one of the largest cumulative measures of how weed communities have adapted to the simplified weed management tactics adopted at an unprecedented scale throughout North America,” said first author on the paper, Chris Landau of USDA-ARS. NewsWise

 

 

Mexico has been fighting the US in a trade dispute over GMO corn, after Mexico’s Decree, announced in February, banned GMO corn for human consumption, limited to corn in tortillas or masa (dough). In November, a trade panel made initial filings public. They reveal that the US plays for agribusiness, which includes chemical and biotech companies. Meanwhile, by banning GMO corn, Mexico secures supplies of an important daily staple and limits cancer risks from glyphosate. American positions appear oblivious to this. In August, the US invoked a panel under NAFTA 2.0 (the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA). Showing its hand, the US is out to lunch on various fronts. The first is in regard to what the ban does. The US argues that Mexico requires substitutes for GMOs in animal feed. But this is nonsense. The Decree does not touch animal feed. It does envision eventual GMO alternatives, but no timeline is given for this. No measures are announced. Addressing these fears, the Decree explains that authorisations for GMOs will still be granted, so long as they are not used for corn in tortillas or masa. Common Dreams

 

 

The UK government, which has been failing so badly on health, farming, and the environment, is making a £2 billion bet on “engineering biology” (a term they seem to have invented, which avoids the toxic phrase "genetic engineering") to solve all the problems. GMWatch predicts that the venture will prove an expensive failure and that nothing of substance will emerge from this leap of faith. GMWatch comment on gov.uk

 

 

When you pose questions like: "Whose interest does the Kenyan seed law protect that makes it illegal for farmers to share, sell and exchange indigenous seeds?" – you attract attention from Kenyan government officials, agroecologist Nasike Claire Akello has found. @GMWatch on Twitter/X

 

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