In a new expert report, independent scientists have strongly criticised the New Zealand government’s proposal to radically weaken its GMO regulations. The proposed legislation would remove a subclass of gene-edited plants, animals, and microbes from the scope of the GMO regulations, meaning that they would be exempted from pre-market risk assessment for health and the environment, traceability requirements, and GMO labelling. In short, they’d be treated just the same as non-GM. As with the recent deregulation of gene-edited GMOs in England, the New Zealand government assumes that these organisms could also arise from conventional breeding, so no special regulation is needed. The New Zealand government has opened a public consultation on the proposals, with the comment period closing on 17 February. Prof Jack Heinemann and colleagues of the University of Canterbury, New Zealand have submitted their expert report in which they warn that if the bill passes, New Zealand would have the most extreme combination in the world of proposed species breadth (microorganisms, plants, animals) and process exemptions without the safety net of a case-by-case confirmation step prior to release. If you're in New Zealand, this article links to information about how to have your say in the consultation. GMWatch

 

 

€1.3 billion. That’s how much corporate giants like Shell, Exxon, Bayer, and others spend on lobbying in Brussels every year. Before we even hear about new policies, corporate lobbyists are already shaping EU decisions to protect their profits. Thankfully, there are groups that fight back and amplify citizens’ voices in EU policymaking. They operate on shoestring budgets compared to big business lobbies — and now, many of them risk losing vital EU funds. The European Commission wants to stop environmental organisations from using EU funding to advocate for citizens’ interests in the halls of power. This would bar them from sending letters, organising meetings, or providing materials to influence EU institutions, leaving them without the tools needed to hold the EU accountable. [GMW: That includes groups fighting for transparency and precaution on GMOs and pesticides.] Meanwhile, corporate lobbyists will tighten their grip unchecked. Tell the Commission and Parliament to stop any plans to cut EU LIFE funding for environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that amplify citizens’ voices in policymaking – sign the petition! You can sign wherever you are in the world. WeMove

 

 

The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 aims to deregulate gene-edited organisms (or what the UK government misleadingly chooses to call “precision-bred organisms", PBOs), fostering an environment that prioritises innovation over precaution. The geographical scope of the Act is limited to England. For Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where agriculture, food safety and environmental protection are devolved competencies, there lies an opportunity to take a different path. Although Northern Ireland’s position remains uncertain due to its regulatory status between the UK and the EU, both Scotland and Wales have rejected the Genetic Technology Act, opposing the cultivation and sale of gene-edited organisms. Beyond GM has outlined some actions devolved nations might take to reduce the impact of the Precision Breeding Act in their territories and even challenge the UK Internal Market Act’s constraints. Beyond GM

 

 

Microsoft founder Bill Gates is publishing his first memoir, Source Code: My Beginnings. He has spent decades and billions of dollars crafting his image. But his critics, among them Tim Schwab, author of the book, The Bill Gates Problem, remain unimpressed. In his book, Schwab notes that a particularly contentious point is the Gates Foundation's work in Africa, where it has reportedly poured nearly a billion dollars into the controversial AGRA program (formerly the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa). The programme launched in 2006 promising to double agricultural yields and halve both hunger and poverty in 13 African countries by 2020. This goal has not been met. According to research published in 2020, the number of hungry people has in fact grown by 30% in the focus nations. In 2024, several African faith-based, farming and environmental organisations publicly demanded reparations from the Gates Foundation. In an open letter, they urged the foundation and its allies to acknowledge that their efforts "have failed". The letter's signatories said, "Their interventions are further pushing Africa's food system towards a corporatised model of industrial agriculture, diminishing our people's right to food sovereignty and threatening ecological and human health." DW

 

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