A group of biotech seed companies on Monday launched an online forum to combat mounting opposition to genetically modified foods among consumer groups and activists. The website, www.GMOAnswers.com, is designed as a “central online resource” for information on genetically modified organisms and their use in agriculture and food production, the Biotechnology Industry Organization said. The […] Read more
GMO companies launch website to fight anti-biotech movement
Unapproved GE wheat stored in Colorado through 2011
Monsanto’s experimental genetically engineered (GE) wheat, which was feared to have potentially contaminated U.S. wheat supplies after it was found growing in an Oregon field this spring, was kept in a U.S. government storage facility until at least late 2011, according to documents obtained by Reuters. The revelation that the seed for the GE wheat […] Read more
GM wheat find in Oregon ‘suspicious,’ Monsanto says
Monsanto officials said Friday that continued extensive testing of U.S. soft white wheat supplies shows the presence of the company’s unapproved, experimental genetically altered wheat in an Oregon wheat field is highly suspicious and was an isolated incident that could not have happened through normal farming practices. Company officials said more investigation is needed to […] Read more
USDA probes Colorado storage site in GE wheat mystery
The U.S. Agriculture Department, probing how a genetically engineered (GE) trait entered an Oregon wheat field and the extent of the contamination, has tested a dozen wheat samples and is looking at a national seed storage facility in an effort to resolve the mystery and calm a troubled market for U.S. wheat exports, a spokesman […] Read more
Scientists say new study shows pig health hurt by GM feed
Pigs fed a diet of only genetically modified (GM) grain showed markedly higher stomach inflammation than pigs who dined on conventional feed, according to a new study by a team of Australian scientists and U.S. researchers. The study adds to an intensifying public debate over the impact of genetically modified crops, which are widely used […] Read more
Tests so far show commercial wheat seed GM-free, Monsanto says
Monsanto said Wednesday that broad testing of commercial wheat seeds in Oregon and Washington state has found no sign of its long-shelved experimental biotech wheat — and company officials said it was possible the illegal wheat discovered growing in an Oregon field may have been the result of sabotage. Monsanto officials said they have supplied […] Read more
USDA extends reviews on Enlist corn, dicamaba-tolerant soy
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday it will extend its scrutiny of proposed biotech crops developed by Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto after receiving an onslaught of opposition to the companies’ plans. The news frustrated Dow officials who’d hoped to have secured regulatory approval and have their new herbicide-tolerant Enlist corn brand on the market […] Read more
Study links heavy glyphosate use to health risks
Heavy use of the world’s most popular herbicide could be linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson’s, infertility and cancers, according to a new study. The peer-reviewed report, published last week in Entropy, an interdisciplinary open-access scientific journal, said evidence indicates that residues of glyphosate, best known as the active ingredient […] Read more
Monsanto, DuPont take seed battle to trial
Opening arguments got underway last week in a potentially pivotal legal battle between agricultural giants Monsanto and DuPont over Monsanto’s control of a popular seed technology worth billions of dollars. The rivals have been fighting for years and the trial in federal court in St. Louis represents only part of an ongoing argument over the […] Read more
DuPont Pioneer now eyeing biotech wheat
DuPont is expanding its pipeline of new products under development to include the potential for a biotech wheat, a company official said on Tuesday. DuPont and its Pioneer Hi-Bred agricultural seed unit said a hybrid wheat technology project has been added to its roster of crop research programs that are advancing into deeper development. DuPont […] Read more
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