Genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes created by biotechnology company Oxitec have been released in the U.S., even though the long-term effects could be disastrous. Oxitec is using Aedes aegypti (A. aegypti) mosquitoes for this real-world experiment, the species known to carry yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika, West Nile and Mayaro,1 a dengue-like disease.2 Read more.
Get Informed on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Majority of United States Cropland Uses GM Seed
A new report from the United States Department of Agriculture shows that about 55 percent of the total harvested cropland in the United States is grown with varieties having at least one GM trait according to a release. Read more.
CRISPR causes serious DNA damage with high frequency — but it’s often overlooked
The latest in a long series of papers has been published, detailing unintended effects of CRISPR gene editing. The new review summarises the many types of serious unintended on-target (at the intended edit site) DNA damage resulting from CRISPR/Cas gene editing. Read more.
European Commission Proposal on New GMOs Favours Biopiracy Over Rights of Farmers and Citizens
On July 5, the European Commission presented its proposal to create a new regulatory framework for certain GMOs . This proposal gives centre stage to biopiracy and the privatization of all seeds by patent-holding companies, to the detriment of farmers’ rights to seed. European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC), which represents peasant farmers across Europe, calls on the European Parliament and European Council to reject this unacceptable proposal. Below is ECVC’s initial analysis of the proposal. Read more.
We Need the Whole Truth to Regulate GMOs
A critical detail was omitted from Rich Rifkin’s Forum article published June 28 in The Davis Enterprise. In the interest of reducing the “mountains of misinformation” related to regulation of genetically engineered/modified (hereafter GE) organisms to which he referred in that piece, that omission should be corrected. Read more.
The False Promise of Lab-Grown Meat
Lab-grown, or cultured, meat is being heralded as an ethical, climate-saving alternative to traditional meat. But what if it isn’t safe, and what if its carbon footprint exceeds that of grass-fed animals? Read on and find out what the science is now showing us. Read more.
Allowing Genetically Engineered Crops in the Deathblow to Sustainable Agriculture
“Any authorisation of GM food should always be accompanied by risk assessments and a comprehensive evaluation of traceability and labelling options. The plans presented by Timmermans this week blatantly contradict this. The bill is not only a deathblow to sustainable agriculture but also an affront to democracy.” – Anja Hazekamp MEP Read more.
California Proposes to Hijack Regenerative Agriculture
California has unilaterally decided to define Regenerative Agriculture. It is a subnational government with no formal role in the Regenerative Agriculture movement. It has a state government with entrenched bureaucracies, such as The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), that regulate and condone some of the world’s worst excesses in industrial-scale Degenerative Agriculture on the planet. Read more.
New Genetic Engineering – small cause, big effect
Here’s an excellent article about the European Commission’s GMO deregulation proposal, by the journalist, former MEP, and expert on GMOs Benedikt Haerlin. He has been around long enough to have witnessed the failed promises of the first generation of GM crops in the 1990s and early 2000s. Read more.
First CRISPR-edited Salad Hits the U.S. Market
Food start-up Pairwise made history in May with the launch of its Purple Power Baby Greens Blend, the first genome-edited product using CRISPR technology sold in the United States. A mix of purple and green mustard greens, the new salad blend was gene-edited to taste less bitter and more like lettuce. Read more.
