We're used to gene editing being something that's done in controlled and contained conditions in the lab, with just the final product being unleashed in the environment. But coming down the pipeline are pesticides designed to "edit" the genes of organisms out of doors, in the uncontrolled conditions of the open environment. These outdoor-use genetic pesticides are claimed to be more environmentally friendly than chemical pesticides. The problem is that these genetic pesticides could also "edit" the genes of what scientists call non-target organisms – i.e. people, animals, and insects in the environment could become collateral damage. And the deregulation of gene editing that is being aggressively promoted around the globe means that these products could be used in open fields with no prior risk assessment, traceability, or monitoring. Sounding the alarm about this "Wild West" scenario is a new study, which finds that exposure to a CRISPR/Cas gene-editing pesticide could unintentionally alter the genes of a wide assortment of non-target organisms, with potentially serious or even fatal consequences. And leading the list of potential victims of unintended gene editing are humans. GMWatch

 

 

On 10 July, the European Food Safety Agency, EFSA, published its opinion on the French health agency ANSES's opinion of December 2023, concerning Annex 1 of the European Commission's proposal on the deregulation of plants obtained from new genomic techniques (new GM techniques, NGTs). The EU health authority concludes that the new GMOs can be considered equivalent to conventional plants if they correspond to the criteria retained by the Commission, omitting the issues raised by the highly critical opinion of the French health agency. "In its opinion, EFSA completely ignores the arguments put forward by ANSES – which call into question the foundations of this proposed regulation – and totally ignores the risks of the new GMOs, which will not be assessed if the draft regulation is adopted. With this 4-page response, the agency is endorsing the European Commission's arguments, without providing a critical eye or scientific analysis," said Charlotte Labauge, campaigner at the environmental NGO Pollinis. GMWatch

 

 

Kenyan farmers are opposing the privatisation of the Kenya Seed Company. The farmers fear the proposed move would compromise their access to seeds, the country’s seed sovereignty and food security. The group has vowed to reject the privatisation bid. They fear that farmers might not access quality seeds once the company is privatised because the new owners would focus on profit making, hence increasing the prices. “Government is the only entity that can offer subsidies to farmers. We have been buying seeds at very affordable prices from KSC, a situation that might change once the company is privatised,” Francis Ngiri, a member of Makongeni Farmers Network in Nakuru, said. The Star

 

 

The Argentinian movie EL AGRONOMO tells the painful story of an agronomist who moves with his family to one of the many rural areas of Argentina plagued by pesticide spraying (often on GMO crops). Director Martín Turnes says, “For years I’ve been attentive to the questioning of the predominant agribusiness model, the indiscriminate use of pesticides and the consequences that this entails in our society, in our bodies. I felt the need to transform all the questions it generated into a film.” [GMW: See our GMWatch X thread on the attacks on this film from defenders of big agribusiness.] Variety

 

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