New Yorkers restore the American chestnut with non-GM trees after GM failed New Yorkers are planting non-GM blight-resistant American chestnut tree seeds in back yards and local parks – after GM trees failed to withstand the blight and were shown to be defective. Despite that failure, the genetically engineered variant’s creators at the State University of New York are pushing ahead, with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) considering whether it should be deregulated and allowed to be commercially spread, to the alarm of some environmentalists. “This isn’t a restoration project, it’s a genetically flawed science experiment poised for commercialisation at the expense of our forests,” said Anne Petermann of the Global Justice Ecology Project. “The forests deserve real science, not flawed experiments." The Guardian New film showcases what’s wrong with food and farming – and how to put it right An inspiring and insightful new film, In Symbiosis, looks at what's gone wrong with food and farming (including the GMO and pesticides treadmill) and points to ways we can put them back on track towards greater sustainability and resilience. Directed by Helena Berndl and Francesco Maria Gallo, In Symbiosis features interviews with experts from across the world, including regenerative farmers, molecular geneticist Prof Michael Antoniou, GMWatch co-director Claire Robinson, and food sovereignty champion Dr Vandana Shiva. The world premiere of In Symbiosis is in London on 24 and 25 June at the Raindance Festival.
Tue, Jun 24, 9:15 PM @ Vue Piccadilly - Screen 1
Wed, Jun 25, 3:15 PM @ Vue Piccadilly - Screen 3
See a trailer and book tickets now! GMWatch West Australia grain farmers pull back GM canola plantings for the first time as non-GM price premiums rise West Australia grain farmers are slowing down their plantings of GM canola for the first time, enticed by a price premium of up to $100 per tonne for non-GM canola. More than 1.73 million hectares of canola has been planted across West Australia fields this year, with GM plantings stalling and non-GM plantings increasing as farmers weigh up agronomics and financial pay-off. Agronomist Michael Lamond said a significant price premium for the non-GM canola seed had continued to hold up at planting time — when it normally drops back to be closer to the price of GM canola. “The main driver (for the price premium) has been the drought in South Australia and Victoria, which has meant there is less canola being grown over there,” Lamond said. “Our non-GM canola goes to Europe, and that market needs grain... hence the higher prices.” The Albany Advertiser Trial set in dicamba lawsuit A trial date has been set in a farmer’s long-running lawsuit over drifts from the herbicide dicamba. Arkansas beekeeper Richard Coy is suing Bayer and BASF over the impact of dicamba damage on his bees and his resulting loss of income. Coy's honey farm business was driven out of Arkansas by the level of dicamba damage. The lawsuit complains Monsanto and BASF marketed GMO dicamba-resistant crops while intentionally downplaying the dangers dicamba posed to non-resistant crops and other plant life, including native plants, flowers, bushes, vines and other flowering plants suitable for bee foraging. Jonesboro Sun (page may not be available outside the US) An Iowa bill limiting glyphosate lawsuits failed. Now the US Supreme Court may weigh in The Iowa bill that would have shielded pesticide and herbicide manufacturers from "failure to warn" lawsuits didn't survive the 2025 legislative session. Now, those manufacturers are turning to the courts. Bayer in April announced it filed a petition with the US Supreme Court, claiming that "failure-to-warn lawsuits" brought against the company warrant review and resolution by the country’s top court. Michaelyn Mankel, a Des Moines-based Iowa Food and Water Watch organiser, said she and others against the policy are feeling energised and ready to continue their opposition campaign. Des Moines Register It’s not a broken system — from food to development, it’s a masterpiece of control "Industrial agriculture is not a system in crisis," writes Colin Todhunter – "It is a system in command. Engineered with precision, it reflects the civilisational logic of industrial modernity: domination over cooperation, profit over sufficiency, scale over ecology. It is not malfunctioning — it is functioning exactly as designed... [It] is not a sectoral failure but a planetary regime of dispossession: a machinery that converts ecological life into economic assets, undermines autonomy under the banner of development and metabolises resistance into market-friendly reform. The food system is not broken. It is a weapon. And it is intended as such. It concentrates power, severs people from land, deskills and displaces producers and commodifies nourishment. It benefits financial capital and corporate actors while externalising its costs — to health, biodiversity, labour and culture." Countercurrents We hope you’ve found this newsletter interesting. It was made possible by GMWatch supporters. To become one, please support our work with a one-off or regular donation. Thank you! __________________________________________________________ Website: http://www.gmwatch.org
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