Washington | Reuters — More than 100 Nobel laureates called on the international environmental group Greenpeace on Thursday to end its opposition to genetically modified crops, saying there is a scientific consensus they are safe and can benefit society. At a news conference, the scientists cited in particular the value of a genetically modified rice […] Read more
Tag Archives gmo — page 6
Nobel laureates urge Greenpeace to stop opposing GMOs
MP calls for mandatory GMO labels, echoes Vermont regulations
CNS Canada — A Quebec MP has tabled a new bill calling for mandatory labelling of genetically modified (GM) foods, following steps taken by lawmakers south of the border. Pierre-Luc Dusseault, the New Democrat MP for Sherbrooke, introduced Bill C-291 Tuesday morning, calling for the mandatory labelling of genetically engineered (GE) foods in Canada. Dusseault […] Read more
Canada says GMO salmon safe for consumption
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada approved a type of genetically modified salmon for sale, health officials said on Thursday, the first such animal to be cleared as safe for consumption in the country. The salmon was approved in the U.S. to be farmed for human consumption last year but has since been a source of […] Read more
U.S. study finds no risks to people, planet in GMOs
It’s time for the task of regulating new crop varieties to focus on plants’ characteristics rather than on how the plants were developed, a team of U.S. scientists recommends in a new report. A study committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on Tuesday released an “extensive” study of genetically engineered crops, finding […] Read more
U.S. grain firms rejecting GMO crops that lack global approval
Reuters — Across the U.S. Farm Belt, top grain handlers have banned genetically modified crops that are not approved in all major overseas markets, shaking up a decades-old system that used the world’s biggest exporting country as a launchpad for new seeds from companies such as Monsanto. Bold yellow signs from global trader Bunge are […] Read more
China may cultivate GM corn in next five years
Beijing | Reuters — China, the world’s second-largest corn consumer, may allow commercial cultivation of pest-resistant genetically-modified (GM) corn within the next five years, an agriculture ministry official said Wednesday. “We will push forward the commercial process of new strains of pest-resistant cotton and pest-resistant corn among other key crops,” during the 13th Five Year […] Read more
Global GMO area dips in 2015 in first-ever decline
Reuters — The world scaled back biotech crop planting for the first time ever in 2015, led by a decline in the U.S., which has fuelled rapid expansion of genetically modified crops since their commercial launch two decades ago, according to an annual report released Wednesday. The decline was blamed largely on lower crop plantings […] Read more
Chinese citizens protest ChemChina-Syngenta deal
Beijing | Reuters — Around 400 Chinese citizens have signed a letter to protest the purchase of Swiss-based seeds and pesticides company Syngenta by state-owned ChemChina, saying the deal would eventually lead to genetically modified crops being sown across swathes of the country. Critics of genetically modified organisms argue the technology poses risks to public […] Read more
China’s farmers switch to soy amid corn market reform
Reuters — Wang Zhonghai, a 49-year-old farmer in China’s top corn producing province of Heilongjiang, plans to switch 80 per cent of his land to cultivate soybeans this year as the government ends a near-decade-old corn price support scheme. China announced last week it will stop its corn stockpiling program and allow markets to set […] Read more
ConAgra, Kellogg, Mars to label for GMOs in U.S.
Reuters — ConAgra Foods has joined other food giants in plans to use labels that disclose the presence of genetically modified organisms or GMOs in its food throughout the U.S. ConAgra and other food companies such as Campbell Soup and General Mills have decided to use such labels nationwide, finding it to be the easiest way […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
