New secondary legislation that expands the sweeping deregulatory powers of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act, has been laid. The secondary legislation, developed by DEFRA and the Food Standards Agency, raises serious concerns about consumer choice, food safety and agricultural independence as well as being a dramatic shift from Labour’s previous position. The Act dismantles key safeguards such as labelling and traceability for genetically engineered – so-called “precision bred” organisms (PBOs). According to Pat Thomas, director of Beyond GM:“The Genetic Technology Act is a shoddy piece of legislation that is a fundamental breach of public trust in the UK farming and food system and a significant step backwards for consumer rights. By stripping away essential labelling and traceability, it leaves consumers uninformed, the large majority of non-GMO farming and food businesses in the UK exposed to unforeseen risks including financial and reputational loss and, potentially, a competitive disadvantage.” You can read Beyond GM’s response to the new legislation in its recent submission to the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee. Beyond GM

 

 

Civil society organisations in Argentina and Paraguay are calling for the suspension of Bioceres's GM wheat HB4 on the grounds of the failure of the technology. The wheat is marketed as drought-resistant and as tolerant to the herbicide glufosinate ammonium, which is banned in the EU due to concerns about its toxicity. However, the groups state, "HB4 technology does not provide resistance or tolerance to drought. According to official data, HB4 wheat yields much less than conventional (non-GMO) wheats, even in drought years. In the annual average of data for 2021, HB4 wheats yielded 17% less than conventional wheats." The poor yields were reported in the media in 2022 and appear to come from company and government data. The groups add, "In the following years, neither the State nor the company published production data in the different regions. Perhaps it is because the productive failure of the technology was confirmed, and the fall in sales and revenues of Bioceres has caused the company to exit the sale of seeds." Bioceres – "the Argentine Monsanto" – is reporting a 24% drop in revenue. GMWatch

 

 

Mosquitoes carry pathogens that cause diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, and are therefore known as vector-borne diseases. As part of the fight against these mosquitoes, researchers at Macquarie University (Australia) are considering a new genetic strategy. The idea is to genetically modify male mosquitoes so that their sperm produces molecules that will poison female mosquitoes. The researchers consider that the impact of these venoms on the mosquito’s natural predators, such as birds, bats and certain amphibians, needs to be determined. The authors are reassuring, pointing out that “the oral toxicity of venom proteins is typically between 1 and 2 orders of magnitude lower than when they are directly injected, and venom proteins can be selected which have greater toxicity for the target species relative to natural predators”. However, this is theory. These GM mosquitoes have not been studied under real conditions in a complex ecosystem. Inf'OGM

 

 

At least 25 undercover police officers who infiltrated political and environmental groups formed sexual relationships with members of the public without disclosing their true identity to them. The total shows how women were deceived on a systemic basis over more than three decades. It equates to nearly a fifth of all the police spies who were sent to infiltrate environmental, anti-racist, animal rights, and political groups. Four of the police spies fathered, or are alleged to have fathered, children with women they met while using their fake identities to infiltrate campaigners. The officers typically spent four years pretending to be campaigners while they infiltrated groups, befriending activists while simultaneously hoovering up information about their protests. The Guardian

 

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