Right now – and for a very short time – we have a rare window of opportunity to put the issue of genetically engineered food in the UK food system in front of would-be MPs and demand that they take action. The UK’s GMO campaign groups have come together to make it simpler for citizens to write to their candidates and urge them to commit to ensuring that forthcoming regulations for the Act include provisions for mandatory labelling, greater regulatory transparency and ongoing – and meaningful – public engagement on an issue of deep public concern. Please don't leave it to others – take action now at the link above! GMWatch

 

 

The Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU is pushing a swift adoption of a negotiating stance on rules for new GMOs, with a proposal to bypass ministers. If the deal doesn't happen, the bill could face a year-long delay. ENDS Europe (paywalled)

 

 

A recently published study shows that the use of CRISPR/Cas "gene scissors" causes unintended genetic changes that are different to random mutations. According to the study, major structural changes in chromosomes occur much more frequently in the genomic regions targeted by the "gene scissors" than would otherwise be the case. These results also have implications for the risk assessment of plants obtained from new genetic engineering (NGTs). According to the EU Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), unintentional genetic changes resulting from the use of CRISPR/Cas "gene scissors" are no different to random mutations. However, a new method of data evaluation shows that this assumption is wrong. The location and frequency of the unintended genetic changes cannot be equated to the occurrence of random mutations. Testbiotech

 

 

Agricultural insecticides exerted the biggest impact on the size and diversity of butterfly populations in the US Midwest during the study period 1998 to 2014, a study shows. Especially detrimental, the researchers found, was a class of widely used insecticides called neonicotinoids that are absorbed into the tissues of plants. Neonicotinoids are widely used on GM corn and soybean seeds and they can leach into the surrounding environment. The study fund that these insecticides were more harmful to butterfly populations than herbicides, land use, and climatic conditions. Insecticide-related declines began in 2003, coinciding with the appearance and quick adoption of (GMO) corn and soybean seeds treated with neonicotinoids throughout the Midwest. PLOS ONE

 

 

Hollywood star Michael Sheen helped uncover a dark secret. A new BBC podcast series, Buried: The Last Witness, tells the story of how Monsanto had thousands of tonnes of highly toxic PCBs buried in dump sites in south Wales, which then began to leach out. BBC News

 

 

After being appointed as Mexico's incoming Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Julio Berdegué confirmed that neither the cultivation of GMO corn nor imports for human consumption will be allowed in its national territory. GMWatch @GMWatch on Twitter/X

 

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