Save our Seeds

After finding traces of GM oilseed rape in Australian harvest despite a ban in all Australian States, national and state agricultural ministers agreed to a maximum level of 0,9% in the final product (EU standard), an interim allowance of up to 0,5% in seed for the next seasons and a target level of maximum contamination of 0,1% by 2007. Greenpeace and organic farmers deplored the deal.</p><p><a href="http://search.theage.com.au/click.ac?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theage.com.au%2Fnews%2Fnational%2Fministers-give-nod-to-gm-traces-in-canola%2F2005%2F10%2F26%2F1130302839903.html&t=4&n=1&s=canola">Te age: Ministers give nod to GM traces in canola</a></p><p><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200510/1492961.htm?queensland">ABC: GE companies accused of contaminating seed</a></p><p><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org.au/ge/farming/canola.html">GP Australia GE canola website</a></p><p><a href="http://www.bfa.com.au/_files/27.10.05%20Org%20Farm%20Deplore%20Ministerial%20GM%20Decision.pdf">Biological Farmers of Australia press release</a>

EU biotech experts on Thursday extended controls on imports of U.S. maize products for three months. Since April the EU is testing U.S. exports to Europe to prove the absence of Bt-10 maize.</p><p><a href="http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2005-10-27T133733Z_01_RID748797_RTRUKOC_0_US-MAIZE-EU.xml&archived=False">Reuters</a>

Rats fed with GM soybeans had a 55 % death rate in a study conducted at the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). The results were published at a Symposium organized by the National Association for Genetic Security (NAGS), who called for further investigations.</p><p><a href="http://www.regnum.ru/english/526651.html">Russian News - REGNUM: Genetically modified soy affects posterity: Results of Russian scientists' studies</a></p><p><a href="http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=newsletter&topic_id=3&subtopic_id=15&doc_id=11531">A rebuttal of the study from "checkbiotech"</a>

Today the Council of Agriculture ministers met in Luxembourg and once more they failed to agree. There was no qualified majority to authorise two modified maize lines MON863 and GA21 and no qualified majority to force the lifting of the Greek ban on GM maize cultivation.</p><p><a href="http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/33144/story.htm">Reuters</a>

In a letter to the President of the Commission the Consiglio dei diritte genetici (Genetic rights Council, CDG), an Italian science think tank, calls for a fundamental review of the procedure. Over the past 2 years, the CDG has found, none of the comments submitted have been taken into account or followed up. As a result the number of comments has dropped dramatically. Furthermore the documentation of the GM applications is incomplete, key parts are declared confidential and the time for comments does not allow for serious evaluation of the available information.</p><p><a href="http://www.consigliodirittigenetici.org/new/lettera/LetteraUE_EN.pdf">CDG: Open letter to the Commission</a>

The Journal Environmental Entomology has published 11 studies on the impacts of transgenic maize and cotton plants containing Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) toxins and concludes "that extant cultivars of transgenic Bt cotton and corn pose a relatively low risk tonontarget arthropods."</p><p><a href="http://ariel.esa.catchword.org/vl=6070137/cl=12/nw=1/rpsv/cw/vhosts/esa/0046225x/latest.htm">The Entomological Society of America: Environmental Entomology, Volume 34 Number 5 October 2005</a>

Greenpeace today published some results which show that consumers and food producers in Poland and Russia have become strong opponents against genetically engineered food. In Poland, an opinion poll commissioned by Greenpeace shows that 76% of Polish consumers do not wish to eat food products that contain GE ingredients, such as GE soya and GE maize. The Russian Consumers Guide reveals more than 450 food companies in the country that have adopted a GE free policy.</p><p><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/releases/rejection-of-ge-food-spreads-i">Greenpeace Press Release</a></p><p><a href="http://en.rian.ru/society/20050518/40375624.html">RIA Novosti: Two-thirds of Russians unwilling to eat GM-Food</a></p><p><a href="http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=newsletter&topic_id=2&subtopic_id=10&doc_id=11472">Moscow Times via checkbiotech.org: Food producers assail Greenpeace blacklist</a></p><p><a href="http://cee.greenpeace.at/gpcee/pl/secure/k-tools/phplib/MedienDatenbankView.inc.php?id=1722">Opinion poll done by PBS in Poland [engl. figures at the end]</a>

The 2nd European conference of GMO free regions will take place in Berlin, January 14-15 2006 during the "International Green Week". Participants from all over Europe will debate strategies and exchange information how to keep their regions free of GMOs as the European Union will present new measures for co-existence during the first half of 2006.</p><p><a href="http://www.gmo-free-regions.org">GMO-free regions conference web-site</a>

The EU council of agricultural ministers on Oct 25th will vote on a Commission proposal to overturn the ban of Mon810 GM maize varieties, which had been inscribed in the Unions Common seed catalogue. The ministers will also vote on the approval of Monsantos MON863 bt maize for import as food and feed. In both cases no qualified majority against the Commissions proposals are expected so far.</p><p><a href="http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100012_13/10/2005_61831">Kathimerini: GM corn could make the menu</a></p><p><a href="http://www.saveourseeds.org/en/frame.php?page=/dossier/17_seed_varieties_com_catalogue_en">SOS Dossier on GM seed variety approvals and bans</a></p><p><a href="http://www.saveourseeds.org/en/frame.php?page=/dossier/fact_sheet_mon_863">SOS fact sheet on Mon863</a>

At a Greenpeace press conference in Bucharest, Monsanto`s former general manager in Romania warned that Romanian authorities have totally lost control over genetically modified organisms in the country. GM soybeans were grown on much larger areas than registered, but also unapproved GMOs such as potatoes and even plums were found.</p><p><a href="http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/1010-01.htm">Greenpeace: Genetically Engineered Organisms Out of Control in Romania</a>