07/January/21

 

The UK government has launched its public consultation on the deregulation of gene editing in England. Deregulation means there would be no or few safety checks and no GMO labelling for gene-edited products, even though scientists warn that they could be dangerous for human health and the environment. Farm ministry DEFRA has circulated a press release about the consultation that makes false and misleading claims about the supposed yet still imaginary benefits of gene editing for the environment. GMWatch

 

 

UK organic certification body OF&G (Organic Farmers & Growers) has welcomed the launch of the new gene editing consultation but says unless a wide range of views are properly considered, there could be negative impacts. It says the outcome could negatively impact on market access along with damaging the economic and ecological landscape for farming across England, and potentially the rest of the UK. Potato Review

 

 

Project Censored has published its top 10 underreported stories of 2020. A story on Monsanto comes in at No 2. The story tells how in its fight to avoid liability for causing cancer, Monsanto (now owned by Bayer) cre­ated an "intelligence fusion center" to "monitor and discredit" journalists and activists. Cleveland Scene