Save our Seeds

Two World Bank projects, with funding from the GEF (Global Environmental Facility), propose tointroduce genetically modified maize, potatoes, cassava, rice and cotton into five Latin American and four African countries that are centers of origin or diversity for these crops. Civil society groups in the regions condemmed the approach.</p><p><a href="http://www.etcgroup.org/article.asp?newsid=568">ETC Group: Groups in Africa, Latin America condemn World Bank biosafety projects</a>

ACT International, the global alliance of protestant and orthodox churches' emergency relief organisations has adopted a policy not to include GMOs in food aid for ethical reasons.</p><p><a href="http://www.act-intl.org/news/dt_nr_2006/featuregmos.html">ACT International adopts policy on the use of genetically modified organisms in emergencies</a>

"The delegations welcomed the set of measures decided on by the Commission with a view to improving the risk assessment procedures in the context of the current legislation. Certain delegations underlined the importance of applying the precautionary principle in this context," announces the Council of Environmental Ministers first bulletin on the results of the ministers discussion on GMOs. Outside activists called for more.</p><p><a href="http://euobserver.com/9/21970">EU-Observer: Austrian presidency fails to stop GMO approvals</a></p><p><a href="http://eu.greenpeace.org/issues/news.html#060627_a">Greenpeace EU: Protest on GMOs at the EU Environment Council: make precaution a reality</a></p><p><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international/photosvideos/photos/luxemburg">Picture Greenpeace International: 25 Statues of Liberty holding forks and say: "Liberty for Europe to be GMO-free!"</a></p><p><a href="http://www.consilium.europa.eu/cms3_applications/Applications/newsRoom/LoadDocument.asp?directory=en/envir/&filename=90281.pdf">2740th Environment Council meeting, Luxembourg, 27 June 2006 (provisional version)</a></p><p><a href="http://www.foeeurope.org/press/2006/AB_26_June_EFSA.htm">FOE: EU Environment Ministers urged to introduce tougher food safety rules</a>

A fish protein produced by genetically engineered yeast in biofermenters will structure ice in a way that can replace fat in the ice-cream preparation. Unilver has now applied for its use in ice-cream under the novel food regulation of the EU. No GMOs will be released or remain in the final product.</p><p><a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2243430,00.html">Times Online: The GM ice-cream that will keep you as slim as an eel</a></p><p><a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/ispapplication1.pdf">Unilever: Application for the Approval of Ice Structuring Protein Type III HPLC 12 Preparation for use in Edible Ices</a>

Monsantos latest soybean product "Vistive", low in linoleic acid, which contributes to cholesterol, is not a genetically engineered bean, but the product of conventional breeding, sped up with genetic marker selection and identification methods.</p><p><a href="http://www.sacbee.com/content/business/24hour_tech_business/story/3318060p-12222312c.html">24-Hour Technology News - Monsanto reinvents age-old breeding game - sacbee.com</a>

While Europeans, according to a recent Eurobarometer poll of the EU Commission are embracing biotechnologies for medicine and industrial purposes their rejection of GMOs in food is actually bolder than ever.</p><p><a href="http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?n=68572&m=1FNE621&c=ypkkixmgmnrarsx">Europeans still largely oppose GMOs, says new report</a>

At a meeting of national experts and representatives of the European Food Safety Authority on GMO risk assessment harsh words were kept behind closed doors. According to participants numerous experts made far reaching suggestions to overhaul the present system of risk assessment. On the lighter side an EFSA official told Reuters "that it was natural that the agency was using short-term data from the industry in its assessments because GMOs were fairly young".</p><p><a href="http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/36866/story.htm">Reuters: Food Safety Body Says Works Closely With EU on GMOs</a>

GM cassava up to 2,6 times the size of ordinary ones have been celebrated recently in the Journal on Plant Biotechnology. Conventionally bred cassava up to 10 times the original size were not even mentioned in a footnote.</p><p><a href="http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-7652.2006.00195.x">Plant Biotechnology Journal: Genetic modification of cassava for enhanced starch production</a></p><p><a href="http://www.scidev.net/editorletters/index.cfm?fuseaction=readeditorletter&itemid=93&language=1">Science and development network: Boosting cassava roots the non-GM way</a>

A comprehensive overview on the European Unions state of politics on genetically modified organisms, complemented with links to many relevant EU web-sites and references has been published by the USDA`s Foreign Agricultural Service.</p><p><a href="http://www.fas.usda.gov/scripts/gd.asp?ID=146187745">USDA: EU-25Biotechnology Annual Agricultural Biotechnology Report 2006</a>

Journalists of the British newspaper managed to get access to a deadly virus by email-order. All it took was an invented company name, a mobile phone number, a free email address and a house in north London to receive the order by post. The coup reveals a frightening potential for GMO applications. In November, New Scientist magazine surveyed 12 gene synthesis companies in North America and Europe. Only five said they always screened their orders for suspect sequences and three said they never did.</p><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,1796805,00.html">Guardian:Lax laws, virus DNA and potential for terror</a>