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BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE NEWS FOR 2004
Americans’ Opinions About
Genetically Modified Foods Remain Divided, But Majority Want A Strong Regulatory
System
Washington,
DC - Nov. 24, 2004 – Americans’ attitudes about genetically modified (GM)
foods remain divided, although their opinions appear not be deeply held and can
be influenced by new information and events, according to a new analysis
released today by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology.
Study links BT cotton to farmer health. Friday, October 22, 2004 --
The adoption of Bt cotton can substantially reduce the risk and the incidence of
[pesticide] poisonings, Ferdaus Hossain and colleagues of the Department of
Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, of Rutgers University in New
Brunswick, New Jersey, USA, write, in the latest issue of the International
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health. Using data gathered from a
1992-1996 survey of farmers in northern China, researchers showed that Bt cotton
adoption reduced pesticide use and pesticide poisonings.
GM crops cut herbicide use -- Wednesday, October 20, 2004 -- The use of
herbicide-resistant canola has been found to significantly cut herbicide use,
challenging fears that the genetically modified plants adversely affect the
environment. The researchers say that between 1995 and 2000 in Canada, the
amount of canola crop that was modified increased from 10% to 80%. This was
accompanied by a 40% decrease in herbicide use ...
China could release GMO rice as early next year --- Monday, October 18, 2004
By Nao Nakanishi HONG KONG, China - China, the world's top producer and consumer
of rice, could release its genetically modified rice as early as next year, as
pressure mounts to boost domestic production and spur farmer income...Scientists
in China believe Beijing is likely to give the green light for commercialization
of insect and disease-resistant GMO rice as soon as next year after more than
six years of trials.
NCFA STUDY SAYS BIOTECH CREATING WIDESPREAD
BENEFITS --A study by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP)
says that the widespread adoption of six biotechnology-derived crops in 2003
increased farmer income, boosted yields, reduced pesticides, and spurred greater
use of environmentally friendly non-till agriculture. These six crops are
canola, corn, cotton, papaya, soybean, and squash.
Golden Rice creator backs Syngenta’s decision. October 16, 2004. --
Syngenta, the giant agribusiness based in Switzerland, will donate the seed and
genetic lines of its vitamin A-enhanced "Golden Rice" to a humanitarian agency
that will make the genetically modified crop available to developing countries.
Europe gives GM seed
green light - Thursday, 9 September, 2004 By Richard
Black BBC science correspondent. For the first time, the European Union has
approved a genetically modified seed for planting. The European Commission,
which made the decision, says the variety of maize developed by the Monsanto
company can now be grown in any EU nation. The maize, known as MON810, is
modified to be resistant to the European corn borer, a damaging insect pest.
ARS Leads
in Assessing Risk in Transgenics - Sept. 2004 - For the past 4 or 5 years,
ARS has coordinated and carried out more and more biotechnology risk assessment
research and directed more resources into this work," says John W. Radin, ARS
national program leader for plant physiology and risk assessment. "We've always
done some research in this area, but today it's a very high priority."
Monsanto launches
new "heart-healthy" soybean seed - CHICAGO (AFP) - Monsanto Company said it
has begun marketing a new low-linolenic soybean crop that, once processed, will
yield an enhanced oil that is low in trans fats. The new soybean crop is one of
a raft of new heart-healthy products that Monsanto has in development, which it
plans to market under the brand name Vistive.
TRANSGENIC
PLANTS NOW POSSIBLE WITHOUT USING FOREIGN DNA
Creating transgenic plants without having to use an Agrobacterium transfer
(T-) DNA may soon be possible. In the May 2004 issue of Plant Physiology (Rommens,
C., et al. Crop Improvement Through the Modification of the Plant's Own Genome),
scientists from Simplot Plant Sciences in Boise, Idaho reported that a
plant-derived, marker-free DNA fragment could likewise be used to produce
genetically engineered plant cells. Their methods, were used to produce
hundreds of marker-free and backbone-free potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants
displaying reduced expression of polyphenol oxidase, the enzyme responsible for
the brown discoloration of potato tubers.
Aphid Gene Identified
After nearly three years of effort, a team of
researchers has identified a single-gene source of aphid resistance that can be
easily crossed into elite commercial varieties. They also developed methods for
identifying and breeding resistant plants using marker-assisted selection.
Jul. 08, 2004 Wired News -- Film uses uses archival footage and interviews to
argue that GMO foods are jeopardizing our food safety. The film is being used by
anti-GMO groups to anti-GMO legislation in the US
July 7, 2004, Speaking after an international summit on hunger, Meles said
traditional technology and biotechnology could be used in tandem. "Should we
rule out GM crops or biotechnology as a weapon in our arsenal? No. Why should we
rule out any technology? GM technology is like every [other] technology," Meles
told journalists. "It could be used well, or it could be misused. The issue is
how to use it well. I think it can be used well if is used safely and if it does
not increase the already big power of huge multinationals at the expense of the
small-scale farmer."
June 28, 2004 --In March, Mendocino County made national headlines when its
residents voted to ban the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs),
becoming the first county in the nation to prohibit genetically engineered
livestock and produce. Since then, other counties in Northern California and the
Central Coast have been moving in that direction. Activist groups in Butte,
Humboldt, Marin and San Luis Obispo (home to the Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande and
Paso Robles appellations) counties have all gathered the requisite number of
signatures to place GMO-ban initiatives on their local November ballots.
A six-year moratorium on genetically modified food has been lifted by the
European Commission.
May 19, 2004 - BBC News: Commissioners backed a bid by Swiss-based Syngenta
to sell Bt-11 sweet corn for human consumption. The decision fell to the
Commission after EU governments failed to reach agreement on whether to lift the
ban, which had been challenged by the US.
ST. LOUIS (May 10, 2004) - Monsanto announced today it is realigning research
and development investments to accelerate the development of new and improved
traits in corn, cotton, and oilseeds. As part of this realignment, the company
is deferring all further efforts to introduce Roundup Ready wheat, until such
time that other wheat biotechnology traits are introduced. This decision was
reached after a comprehensive review of Monsanto's research investment portfolio
and extensive consultation with customers in the wheat industry.
Part of the reason for this move is that Roundup Ready Wheat technology adds
value for only a segment of spring wheat growers, resulting in a lack of
widespread wheat industry alignment, unlike the alignment we see in other crops
where biotechnology is broadly applied.
Drug firms may grow Nebraska test crops -
April 23, 2004 By Chris Clayton AMES, Iowa - The
high plains of western Nebraska eventually could become a leader in growing test
plots of pharmaceutical crops.
Flower market blooming with transgenic possibilities -
April 23, 2004 TOKYO (Nikkei) - Blue
chrysanthemums and speckled carnations are just two of the unique kinds of
flowers that are heading to market thanks to clever manipulations using genetic
engineering techniques.
Cultivation of genetically modified crops to be prohibited on Venezuelan soil
- Wednesday, April 21, 2004 By Jason Tockman President Hugo Chavez Frias has
announced that the cultivation of genetically modified crops will be prohibited
on Venezuelan soil, possibly establishing the most sweeping restrictions on
transgenic crops in the Western Hemisphere.
European GM rules now in force -- April 19, 2004 -- The toughest rules on GM
labelling in the world entered into force yesterday in Europe, extending the
mandatory labelling to countless food products in the supermarkets and heralding
in an extensive paper trail for the food industry.
Brazil labels GM food - April 16, 2004 -- Luisa Massarani RIO DE
JANEIRO - All human and animal food sold in Brazil that contains more than one
per cent genetically modified (GM) ingredients must now be labelled under a law
that came into force this month. The law states that the packaging of GM
products should be labelled with a 'T' — for 'transgenic'
Despairing GM firms halt crop trials -- April 15, 2004 By Paul Brown -- All
the major biotechnology companies have abandoned GM trials in the UK this year
and only one crop - a GM pea - has been granted a licence to be planted this
summer. The lack of applications, which peaked at 159 in 2000-01, shows a
dramatic change in the fortunes of a technology which had the backing of the
government but remains unpopular with the public.
UC testing high-tech alfalfa - April 11, 2004 - By Reed Fujii alfalfa
modified to be resistant to the widely used herbicide glyphosate, now being
studied by University of California researchers on test plots throughout the
state.
Turf war - April 9, 2004 - The turf is a genetically modified version
of the creeping bentgrass popular on golf course greens and fairways, and it is
being tested here by Scotts Co., which hopes its creation will be resistant to a
common weed-killing chemical.
Greenpeace founder embracing genetically modified
crops - April 6, 2004 -- Moore left Greenpeace after 15 years to find
realistic solutions to issues like the “environmental disaster” of 6 billion who
go hungry each day. He now mesmerizes audiences like the California Cotton
Growers Association annual meeting with his take on finding solutions to
environmental issues.
The role of agricultural biotechnology in addressing world
hunger has been an important part of the global debate about genetically
modified (GM) crops since they were introduced in the mid-1990s. Some believe
that biotech crops are an important part of the solution to world hunger while
others take the position that biotech crops will have little impact. To provide
a better understanding of these respective points of view, the Pew Initiative on
Food and Biotechnology has released an issue brief which summarizes the
arguments made on both sides of the debate.
Summary of Ceres Invitational Roundtable sponsored by Virginia Tech’s Center
for Food and Nutrition Policy and the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology.
This site contains Abstracts and PowerPoint presentations for the symposium,
Biotech Vegetables for Insect and Insect-Vectored Disease Management, that was
held at the 51st Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America in
Cincinnati, Ohio on October 28, 2003. This symposium brought together
scientists, regulators, marketers and consumer advocates to discuss various
issues about vegetables produced through biotechnology that have traits for
insect management.
“The application of biotechnology to wheat improvement” is posted in
the document cabinet of the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology
together with other recent papers. Hoisington, who is affiliated with the
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), together with his
colleagues, analyzed how biotechnology can improve the wheat crop. View the
summary and other articles at
http://www.isaaa.org/kc.
CropBiotech Update -
January 16, 2004 - Brazil and South Africa now join the United
States, Argentina, Canada and China as the leading growers of genetically
modified (GM) crops. These six countries, up from four in 2002, are responsible
for 99 percent of the global biotech crop areas. China and South Africa
experienced the greatest annual increase, with both countries planting one-third
more biotech hectares than in 2002. This was reported by Dr. Clive James,
chairman and founder of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech
Applications (ISAAA) in his latest preview on the global status of
commercialized transgenic crops for 2003.
By PAUL ELIAS AP Biotechnology Writer--Jan.
13, 2004 -- Herald-Tribune -- SAN FRANCISCO --
Genetically engineered crop plantings increased 15 percent last year despite
continued consumer resistance in Europe and elsewhere, according to a group that
promotes use of the technology in poor countries. Seven million farmers in 18
countries grew engineered crops on 167.2 million acres last year, compared to
145 million acres in 2002, according to a report released Tuesday by the
industry-backed International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech
Applications.
High Plains Journal -(01/12/2004) - OMAHA (DTN) -- Reports from some Canadian
news sources over the weekend that the Canadian government was ending its
collaboration with Monsanto to develop genetically modified wheat were
inaccurate, spokespersons for both Ag Canada and Monsanto told DTN.
BIOTECH
WHEAT'S INTENSE DEBATE
BETTE HILEMAN, C&EN
WASHINGTON
-- Jan. 7, 2004 --
Growers and food processors may not
accept it even if it passes government hurdles. In December 2002, Monsanto
petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow commercialized production
of its herbicide-tolerant, genetically engineered wheat variety--Roundup Ready
spring wheat. Although USDA has not said Monsanto can go ahead with its product,
the petition alone has sparked an intense debate among growers, food processors,
agronomists, and environmentalists. Growers and food processors may not accept
it even if it passes government hurdles
BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE NEWS FOR 2003
BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE NEWS FOR 2002
BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE NEWS FOR 2001
BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE NEWS FOR 2000
BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE NEWS FOR 1999
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