On 21 June a hugely controversial field trial of GM CRISPR gene-edited rice in Pavia, Italy, was destroyed by unknown activists. The researchers who developed the GM rice issued a press release about the incident, calling the activists “ecoterrorists”, and complaining of “violence” (there was none), “obscurantism”, and “anti-scientific impulses”. Lobbyists for the big seed producers echoed their complaints, labelling the activists “barbarians”. The Italian Rural Association (ARI), part of the peasant farmers' organisation Via Campesina, opposed the planting of the GM rice trial but also condemned the crop trashing action. Speaking to the news service ENDS, Antonio Onorati, board member of the ARI, said the action will harm the organisation’s goal of ensuring that Italy remains free of GMOs. GMWatch

 

 

A petition in Switzerland to extend a moratorium on genetic engineering, or GM technology, for a fifth time has been handed in with 24,780 signatures. The petition was submitted on Thursday in Bern, with authors calling for a transitional arrangement until the implementation of the planned Food Protection Initiative. This is set be launched in the autumn and will introduce strict rules for genetic engineering, according to a press release issued on Thursday. Behind the petition is the Association for GMO-Free Food, which is worried that the current moratorium on genetic engineering, in place since 2005, is to expire at the end of 2025. Genetic engineering companies want the Swiss authorities to lift the moratorium, which states that genetically modified organisms can currently only be cultivated in Switzerland for research. Swissinfo

 

 

The Federal Government’s decision to introduce GM Tela maize to Nigerian farmers has sparked intense controversy, as concerns about the crop’s impact on human health, environmental sustainability, and the nation’s agricultural future continue to mount. The Tela maize was released along with 22 other new varieties said to be aimed at achieving food sufficiency in Nigeria. However, Tela maize has drawn fierce criticism for its potential to jeopardise public health, environmental stability, and the very foundation of Nigeria’s agricultural sector, with experts warning of a range of devastating consequences, including unpredictable health hazards, ecological contamination, the erosion of traditional farming methods, and the destabilisation of delicate agricultural ecosystems, just as they expressed worry over the influence of foreign interests on Nigeria’s agricultural policy. Many are asking whether the adoption of Tela maize is truly in the best interests of the Nigerian people, or if it serves the interests of powerful corporations and philanthropic organisations. This Day

 

 

Efforts by the Kenyan Government to have the orders barring the importation, distribution and adoption of GMO products in Kenya lifted failed after a Kenyan High Court extended the ban up to October 2024. Via Campesina

 

 

More than 100,000 activists signed a letter calling on panelists appointed to the GM maize controversy to defend Mexico's native grains in its dispute with the United States over the GM maize treaty with Canada (TMEC). The "Campaña Nacional Sin Maíz no hay País" [National Campaign No Maize, No Country], created by the Alianza por la Salud Alimentaria and the Maíz Collective Demand, sent a message to Christian Häberli, Jean E. Kalicki and Hugo Perezcano Díaz, the panelists who will decide the controversy over the ban on US GM maize in Mexico. Forbes

 

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