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BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE NEWS FOR 2003

Judge OKs genetically modified crop ban vote  

By MIKE GENIELLA -- December 31, 2003 -- THE PRESS DEMOCRAT -Ruling lets language of Mendocino County ballot measure stand for March 2 election. The measure would make Mendocino County the first in the nation to ban cultivation of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Supporters, who include 150 organic farmers and wine-grape growers, contend the ban is needed to protect Mendocino County's growing stature as a producer of certified organic agricultural products. They fear genetically modified organisms could contaminate local organically grown crops.

Widespread testing woes found for biotech grains

By Carey Gillam Reuters 2003-12-19 21:50:22 GMT (Reuters) KANSAS CITY, Mo., Dec 19 (Reuters) - Laboratories measuring the amount of genetically modified grain mixed into supplies of U.S. corn and other crops -- a vital factor among foreign buyers of U.S. commodities -- routinely provide inaccurate results, federal grain inspection officials said on Friday.

Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use in the United States: The First Eight Years (Nov. 2003) This report is the sixth in a series of Technical Papers prepared by Benbrook Consulting Services on the development, costs and benefits, and environmental impacts of genetically engineered (GE) crops in the United States. The full series of Technical Papers has been posted on the website Ag BioTech InfoNet and are accessible at http:/www.biotech-info.net/highlights.html#technical_papers. Herbicide tolerant crops have increased pesticide use an estimated 70 million pounds over the last eight years, while Bt transgenic varieties have reduced pesticide use an estimated 19.6 million ponds. Total pesticide use has risen some 50.6 million pounds over the eight-year period studied. The total pounds of pesticides applied to corn and cotton crops has fallen modestly in the case of GE corn and cotton technology, but the increase in the pounds of herbicides applied on HT soybeans has been far greater then the combined reductions in corn and cotton.

MONSANTO RECEIVES REGISTRATION FOR YIELDGARD PLUS CORN:
St. Louis (Nov. 3, 2003) Monsanto Receives EPA Registration For Yieldgard Plus Insect-Protected Corn Monsanto's YieldGard Plus corn offers U.S. growers the first biotech product designed to control both the corn borer and corn rootworm pests. 

DEVELOPING WORLD TO BENEFIT FROM BIOTECH Biotechnology has the potential to play a significant role in rapidly advancing agricultural productivity in developing countries while protecting the environment. In combination with political and economic reforms, biotechnology can increase crop productivity by increasing yields and improving the nutritional content of crops in developing countries. It will also help provide lower-cost food to low-income consumers. This is the gist of an article entitled "Agricultural Biotechnology and the Developing World" by J.B. Penn, Undersecretary of the US Department of Agriculture. Penn cited the following specific benefits: Reduced reliance on chemical inputs resulting in less water pollution. Higher yielding biotech crops that help ease the strain on land resources. Lower energy usage on biotech crops because there are fewer passes through fields in applying chemicals. Herbicide-resistant crops encourage the adoption of conservation tillage, especially no-till, which reduce erosion of topsoil. 

CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY TAKES EFFECT The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety took effect on 11 September 2003. It is the first legally binding international agreement governing the transboundary movement of living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology. The treaty was adopted in January 2000 by member countries to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). 

President Bush Urges Congress to Pass BioShield Legislation Remarks by the President at the Bio 2003 Convention Center and Exhibition Washington Convention Center Washington, D.C. June 23, 2003 -- President George Bush reiterated his administration's commitment to supporting biotechnology so it "can serve the true interests of our nation and mankind" in remarks at the Bio 2003 Convention Center and Exhibition in Washington, DC. Bush likewise called on the European governments to end their moratorium on GM crops. He said this has caused African nations to avoid investing in biotechnology since they worry that their products will be shut out of important European markets. "For the sake of a continent threatened by famine, I urge the European governments to end their opposition to biotechnology. We should encourage the spread of safe, effective biotechnology to win the fight against global hunger." In the long term, the US intends to help such nations "avert famine by sharing with them the most advance methods of crop production." 

K-State-Formed Company To Sell Roundup Ready Soybean Seed

MANHATTAN, Kan. - May 14, 2003 – Kansas State University is planning to launch a nonprofit company called Wildcat Genetics that will pave the way for the sale of Roundup Ready soybean seeds using varieties developed by K-State researchers.

K-State Details Plan for Nonprofit Genetics Wholesale Company--Wildcat Genetics to Sell Roundup Ready® Parent Seed to Seed Companies

Monsanto's Rootworm-Protected Biotech Corn Receives Final Regulatory Clearance Available for 2003 planting, YieldGard Rootworm corn promises better protection and reduced insecticide use for U.S. farmers battling the 'billion-dollar bug'. ST. LOUIS (Feb. 25, 2003) - Monsanto Company today announced it received a registration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its new YieldGard Rootworm insect-protected corn technology - allowing commercialization of the first biotech corn designed to control the corn rootworm pest for the 2003 planting season. The EPA granted Monsanto a commercial registration for YieldGard Rootworm corn, completing the Agency's comprehensive environmental safety assessment. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration completed their reviews of YieldGard Rootworm corn previously.

BT TOXINS, USED BY ORGANIC FARMERS AS AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE INSECTICIDE, FOUND TO KILL PARASITIC ROUNDWORMS -- February 19, 2003 -- Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have discovered that Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt-a bacterium that produces natural protein insecticides that have been used by organic farmers for five decades-can also produce similar natural proteins that kill nematodes. Photos of rat parasitic nematode, N. brasiliensis, before and after (at right, sick, small worms) application of Bt toxin Cry21A 

Britain may force DNA 'barcodes' for GM food -- 13 February 03 --Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition -- The British government is considering forcing biotech companies to use "DNA bar coding" to identify genetically modified organisms. The National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) in Cambridge, UK, was granted a patent this week on a DNA bar-coding technique. The technology would make it easier for regulators to trace GM food or detect crops that have been contaminated by GM strains. It could also have wider uses. Banknotes or designer clothes made from bar-coded cotton would be harder to counterfeit. A spokesman for Britain's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) says it is too early to commit to any one method, but told New Scientist that such technology would be "actively encouraged". A recent European Union directive gives governments the power to make it compulsory. 

Dow AgroSciences Selects WideStrike™ As Brand Name for Cotton Insect Protection Trait -- January 8, 2003 NASHVILLE, Tn - Dow AgroSciences LLC announced the selection of WideStrike™ as the brand name for its cotton insect protection trait during a presentation conducted during the Beltwide Cotton Conferences. The insect protection trait – a combination of the Cry1F and Cry1Ac Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins – has been in development and field study by Dow AgroSciences for several years. It is on track for regulatory approval and commercial introduction in 2004.

ARS DEVELOPS NEW SALT-TOLERANT PLANTS The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the US Department of Agriculture has developed two new lines of salt-tolerant plants. Richard R.C. Wang, ARS research geneticist, and colleagues developed the new plants, known as W4909 and W4910, at ARS' Forage and Range Research Laboratory in Logan, Utah. Salt tolerance is a prized trait and is especially valuable in the irrigated wheat producing regions of the American West. Irrigation can accelerate buildup of salts which weakens or kills plants. Salinity can reduce crop yields by about 25 percent. ARS says that W4909 and W4910 contain salt-tolerance genes from wheat grass and a Ph-inhibitor gene. Presence of the inhibitor gene allows plant geneticists to move the salt-tolerance genes among domestic wheats. Normally, a gene called Ph1b would thwart that exchange. Wang and colleagues are the first to use the Ph1b gene-inhibition technology to incorporate into wheat genetic material, genes borrowed from another plant species. The full article is in the January 2003 issue of ARS' Agricultural Research magazine. It is also available online at: 

"Monsanto seeks approval for genetically modified wheat in Canada" 
Calgary Herald January 8, 2003 EDMONTON Monsanto Canada has asked the federal government for permission to release genetically modified wheat into the farm marketplace. If approved, the request would allow farmers to seed the pesticide-tolerant crop in their fields and feed it to their animals, potentially extending the controversy over bioengineered foods to Canada's largest agricultural export. But a Monsanto spokeswoman said it will probably be years before the wheat, engineered to tolerate high doses of the company's pesticide RoundUp, sees commercial use.

"Puzzling Industry Response to Prodigene Fiasco" 
Jeffrey L. Fox Nature Biotechnology January 2003 Vol. 21 No.1 pp3-4 In December, officials from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA; Washington, DC), working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA; Rockville, MD), imposed a $250,000 fine against ProdiGene (College Park, TX) for violations of the Plant Protection Act. Meanwhile, the US Biotechnology Industry Organization (Washington, DC) caved in to intense political pressure and revised a previous statement calling for outcrossing biopharmaceutical crops not to be planted in the US corn belt. These awkward developments come at a delicate moment for companies working to develop plants that produce pharmaceutical or industrial products. Food producers are calling for stronger regulations that will keep pharmaceutical crops not meant for human consumption entirely separate from the food supply.

BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE NEWS FOR 2002

BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE NEWS FOR 2001

BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE NEWS FOR 2000

BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE NEWS FOR 1999