File photo of a wheat crop in Argentina. (Gracieross/iStock/Getty Images)

Argentina approves drought-tolerant GM wheat

Variety would need Brazil approval before going commercial

MarketsFarm — Argentina has become the first country in the world to approve cultivation and consumption of a genetically modified wheat variety, the country’s National Commission for Science and Technology (CONICET) announced Thursday. “This is the first approval in the world for drought-tolerant genetic transformation in wheat,” CONICET said in a statement. Argentina is the […] Read more


Fall armyworm. (Omafra.gov.on.ca)

China certifies three domestic GM traits

Beijing | Reuters — China’s agriculture ministry issued biosafety certificates on Tuesday for domestically grown, genetically modified (GM) corn and soybean traits, moving closer to commercialization of GM grain production in the world’s top market. The certificates, valid from Dec. 2, 2019 until Dec. 2, 2024, were granted to a corn trait developed by Beijing […] Read more

Genetically modified cotton plants with an edible cottonseed trait are seen growing near Belvidere in northeastern North Carolina. (Texas A+M University handout via Reuters)

U.S. regulators allow GM cotton as human food source

Washington | Reuters — U.S. regulators on Friday gave the green light for genetically modified cotton to be used for human consumption, paving the way for a protein-packed new food source — edible cottonseed that tastes a bit like chickpeas — that its developers said could help tackle global malnutrition. The Food and Drug Administration’s […] Read more

(Jack Dykinga photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

USDA investigates unapproved GMO wheat in Washington state

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed the discovery of unapproved, genetically modified (GM) wheat plants growing in an un-planted agricultural field in Washington state. There was no evidence the wheat had entered the food supply, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said in a statement on Friday. The wheat […] Read more


File photo of a soybean plantation in Brazil. (Mailson Pignata/iStock/Getty Images)

Brazil urges China to improve GMO approvals

Brasilia | Reuters –– Brazil Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo said on Thursday that the country must work with China to reduce non-tariff barriers to agriculture trade, including improving the process for genetically modified goods. Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of soybeans, the vast majority of which are genetically modified organisms (GMO). Many newer GMOs, […] Read more

A file photo of rapeseed fields near Vouziers in France’s Ardennes department. (Photopixal/iStock/Getty Images)

French rapeseed farmers destroy 18,000 hectares over GMO risk

Paris | Reuters — French farmers destroyed a total of 18,000 hectares of rapeseed, more than double the area initially expected, following the discovery of a non-authorized genetically modified organism (GMO) in seeds, German group Bayer said on Friday. Bayer had announced in February that farmers in France and Germany were turning over thousands of […] Read more

Canadian researchers could be at a disadvantage if gene edited crops and livestock are more quickly approved in other countries.

How will gene-editing reach the farm?

Biotech advocates say regulatory clarity is critical, but not available in Canada

Biotechnology experts and supporters from the agriculture and medical sectors met in Toronto recently to discuss how Canada’s regulatory system could better enable the safe commercialization of gene-edited plants and animals. Hosted by Ontario Agri-Food Technologies and CropLife Canada, the March 7 meeting provided an overview of gene-editing regulations in various countries around the world. […] Read more



The arrest in Vancouver of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, shown here with Russian President Vladimir Putin at an investment forum in Moscow in October 2014, has further dampened hopes of revived commodity flows between the U.S. and China. (File photo: Reuters/Alexander Bibik)

Canadian canola runs into Chinese delays after Huawei arrest

Winnipeg/Beijing | Reuters — A political dispute between China and Canada over the arrest of a Huawei executive is slowing canola shipments through Chinese ports and causing some importers to hesitate to buy from their biggest supplier, according to interviews with a dozen traders. Since Canadian authorities arrested Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in […] Read more