24/February/21

 

In a new article in EuroChoices, agricultural economist Justus Wesseler and life sciences professor Kai Purnhagen cite "the contribution of biotechnologies to the creation of a vaccine" for COVID-19 to argue for a weakening of the EU's GMO regulations. They argue that this will allow the "potential" of GMOs, and in particular new GM techniques such as gene editing, to be realised. But Dr Judy Carman, epidemiologist, biochemist, and director of the Institute of Health and Environmental Research in South Australia, points out fatal flaws in their argument. GMWatch

 

 

As one final favour to industrial meat companies, the Trump administration made a last ditch effort to move genetically engineered livestock regulations from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) responsibility just before their term ended. When FDA officials balked at such a rash move, former USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue went over their heads and signed an agreement with the head of Health and Human Services to move the review of most GE animals to USDA anyway. Sign the petition: Genetically engineered animals should be regulated under strict FDA protocols! GMWatch

 

 

In a recent interview, Colombia’s new defense minister, Diego Molano, revealed that Colombia could restart aerial fumigation of coca as early as next month. Between 1994 and 2015, 1.8 million hectares (4.4 million acres) of land were fumigated with glyphosate herbicide as part of a plan to lower drug production, but the practice was suspended due to the disastrous effects the weedkiller had on the crops of rural farmers as well as concerns that the herbicide could cause cancer. According to Molano, the environmentally destructive policy will be restarted as soon as the government receives judicial approval, which he expects to happen by the end of March. Diaspora Tribune