Reaction to ECJ ruling on gene editing
On 25 July 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled that organisms derived from mutagenesis, or gene editing techniques, are genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and should, therefore, be subject to existing laws that restrict the use of GMOs across the European Union.
At the time of the judgement, NFU Deputy President Guy Smith said: “As the current hot, dry weather and the prospect of a diminished harvest vividly demonstrates - the challenge of food production in the future is not likely to get easier for British farmers. Consequently it will be prudent to give them access to as many tools in the tool box as possible. Therefore the ruling from the European Court of Justice, which effectively excludes EU citizens from the benefits offered by innovation in plant breeding, is very disappointing as a central part of overcoming these challenges is ensuring we have fit for purpose legislation which encourages innovation in breeding. Crop genetic improvement would enable British farmers to work efficiently, remain competitive in a global market and deliver even more varied and nutritious food for the public.”
The ruling has been widely covered by media outlets and we have collected a sample of the reaction in reverse chronological order below. Please click on the headline to access the original article.
Interview: De Castro on gene editing, GMOs and plant protection products
IEG Policy, 28 February 2019
The EU is being left behind by the rest of the world when it comes to scientific research in the agriculture sector and "badly needs" a more positive approach to gene editing in order to catch up, according to Paolo De Castro, vice chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (ComAgri).
In his interview with IEG Policy’s Alessandro Mancosu, MEP De Castro discusses his disappointment at the recent decision by the European Court of Justice that determined crops using new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs) – or mutagenesis – are genetically modified organisms (GMOs). He goes on to give his opinion on the state of play with GMOs in the European Union, and the approval process for plant protection products.
EU agriculture Commissioner ‘surprised’ by gene editing court ruling
Euractiv, 28 January 2019
The EU’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan has said European governments must decide whether science or politics are applied when it comes to issues such as new plant breeding techniques. Euractiv reports that Hogan told journalists he was ‘surprised’ by the ECJ ruling in July 2018 that organisms obtained by mutagenesis techniques should be regulated as GMOs, adding: “I think 2019 will be an opportunity for overall reflection and see what the legal options are at the highest level of governments about whether we accept science or not as the basis of making decisions […] It’s going to be a big issue: is it going to be the application of science or the application of political opinions? What are the criteria?”
MEPs to discuss ECJ ruling on plant breeding: AGRI and ENVI committees to hold joint meeting
Feed Navigator, 4 January 2019?
Feed Navigator reports that the European Parliament’s Agriculture (AGRI) and Environment, Pubic Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Committees are holding a joint meeting on Monday 7 January to exchange views on the July 2018 ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on new plant breeding techniques. The ECJ ruled that organisms obtained by mutagenesis are GMOs and are, in principle, subject to the obligations laid down by the GMO legislation. EU scientists and agri-food chain stakeholders railed against the ECJ finding, calling it a missed opportunity for agricultural innovation in the EU, but activist groups like GM Freeze and Friends of the Earth hailed the ruling as a victory for the environment and consumers.
European GMO ruling stems CRISPR patent pool efforts
Managing IP, 5 December 2018
Managing IP reports that the ECJ's July ruling that crops derived from CRISPR-Cas9 technologies are GMOs has halted efforts to establish a European CRISPR patent pool in the agricultural sector. According to in-house sources, agricultural businesses had started working together to establish a licensing platform to enable unrestricted innovation for gene-edited crops. "Having this licensing platform was a high priority before the ECJ ruling, but due to the uncertainties on commercialisation of plant varieties with genome editing under this new ruling in Europe, the urgency has decreased somewhat," says Claudia Hallebach, head of legal affairs and IP at seed company KWS. Jeroen Rouppe van der Voort, IP research manager at vegetable breeder Enza Zaden, believes the ruling will only have the effect of limiting innovation within the EU and would fail to prevent the import and distribution of CRISPR-derived products in Europe. "Products developed in the US, for example, will go the European market and if they are declared non-GMO, they would be treated as a non-GMO because of treaties between the EU and US," he said, adding that the ruling could not ultimately be enforced because the types of mutations generated by CRISPR also occur in nature, which means CRISPR-derived products cannot be detected like GMOs.
Strict EU ruling on gene-edited crops squeezes science
Nature, 25 October 2018?
Nature reports that the European Court ruling requiring gene edited crops to be regulated as GMOs has already hit breeding investment plans in Europe and beyond. Brazilian plant-breeding company Tropical Melhoramento & Genética, which had been expanding its research initiatives in soya-bean gene editing, said the decision was a “cold water bath” on the company’s plans, and that research investments valued at millions of dollars are now on hold while their viability is evaluated, since Europe is the second biggest export market for Brazilian soybeans. Meanwhile a Belgian start-up planning to use CRISPR technology to develop an edible banana that is resistant to Panama disease and black Sigatoka faces similar challenges. Having secured venture capital financing of more than €1 million and a distribution partner, the finance “blew up” and the partner backed out within days of the July ruling which would have added an estimated €20 million to regulatory and approval costs.
Soil Association hits back at Eustice over gene editing
FruitNet, 5 October 2018
Environmental charity rejects suggestion that gene editing is needed to reduce reliance on pesticides and recent ECJ ruling should be ignored. The Soil Association has hit back at comments from George Eustice that Chequers will not stop the UK embracing gene editing technology, despite the recent European Court of Justice verdict on the legal status of new genetic engineering techniques. The farming minister made the remarks at a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Farming at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham, Farmers Guardian reported. He said the Chequers ‘common rule book’ would not stop the UK diverging from the EU on gene editing regulation, stressing that if the UK is serious about trying to reduce its reliance on chemical pesticides and tackling agronomic challenges, it needs to “embrace an accelerated form of genetic breeding”. “We disagree with the judgement the ECJ has come up with," he added. "We think gene editing and cisgenesis is largely an extension of conventional breeding techniques, the likes of which we have had for decades. I think this would be an early candidate for us to depart from the approach the EU is taking.” The Soil Association’s head of policy, farming and land use, Emma Hockridge, hit back at the farming minister’s remarks, saying she “absolutely rejects” the suggestion that gene-editing is needed to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides and that the recent ECJ ruling should be ignored. She added: “Scientific research has long shown that these new gene editing technologies give rise to similar uncertainties and risks as GM always has. We would urge the government to ensure the UK stays aligned with this ruling based on scientific evidence, including the study published by leading journal Nature that shows that the technique ‘causes many profound mutations and DNA damage’. Despite decades of claims that traditional GM plant breeding is completely safe, that it would feed the world, reduce pesticide use and deliver all sorts of other benefits, the evidence has often shown GM crops to have been a disaster." In September, scientists and industry leaders wrote to Defra secretary Michael Gove demanding clarity on how the Chequers plan would affect gene editing research, Farmers Guardian reported. The letter, signed by the National Farmers' Union, the Country Land and Business Association and the Tenant Farmers Association, followed a ruling by the ECJ that gene editing should be subject to the same regulations as GM. The signatories expressed concern that the common rule book set out in the Chequers agreement would force Britain to follow restrictive EU laws.
Chequers will not stop UK embracing gene editing tech, says Eustice
Farmers Guardian, 4 October 2018?
The Chequers ‘common rule book’ will not stop the UK diverging from the EU on gene editing regulation, according to Farming Minister George Eustice. Mr Eustice made the remarks in response to a question from Farmers Guardian at an All Party Parliamentary Group for Farming meeting at Conservative Party conference in Birmingham this week. Last month, a group of scientists and industry leaders wrote to Defra Secretary Michael Gove to demand clarity on how the Chequers plan would affect gene editing research. The letter, signed by the NFU, CLA and TFA, as well as a number of professors, was sent following a ruling by the European Court of Justice which declared gene editing (GE) should be governed by the same regulations as genetic modification (GM). The signatories were concerned that the common rule book proposed in the Chequers agreement would force the UK to follow the EU’s restrictive laws. But Mr Eustice said: “We disagree with the judgement the ECJ has come up with. We think gene editing and cisgenesis is largely an extension of conventional breeding techniques, the likes of which we have had for decades. I think this would be an early candidate for us to depart from the approach the EU is taking. If we are serious about trying to reduce our reliance on chemical pesticides and tackling some of these agronomic challenges, we do need to embrace an accelerated form of genetic breeding. In terms of the common rule book, it will not apply to that. It is already the case that GM foods are widely sold in the EU, particularly in animal feed, where they predominate, even though the EU does not allow the cultivation of crops. As a decision, it is very much a national one, not affected by the common rule book.”
A call for science-based review of the European court's decision on gene-edited crops
Nature Biotechnology, 6 September 2018
A letter published in Nature Biotechnology by three leading US plant scientists supports a call by delegates at the 2018 International Plant Molecular Biology for an immediate review of the CJEU decision to classify gene-edited plants as GMOs. The letter notes that the progress of genetics toward a next generation of crops that can meet the needs of a rapidly warming planet has resulted from the joint effort of scientists in Europe, the United States, and many other countries. Modern genome editing has been applied to more than 50 plant species, yet the response by regulators to these advances has not been uniform. The same genome-edited potato will now be treated differently in the United States, Australia and Argentina on the one hand, and in all of Europe on the other, even though the basic tenets of genetics and the principles of genome editing are universal. The authors warn that the CJEU ruling not only ignores the science of agricultural improvement but will almost certainly impede developments that would enhance the sustainability of agriculture and world food security.
Crispr-edited crop research could be crippled by European court ruling
Chemistry World, 4 September 2018
Plant scientists are warning that July’s European court ruling will cripple European funding for Crispr–Cas9 gene editing in crop science and set EU crop research back by a decade, reports Chemistry World. Former Rothamsted director Maurice Moloney, now chief executive of the Global Institute for Food Security in Canada, said the ruling ‘will have a profound impact on the academic research community’ and make Europe ‘the laughing stock of innovation in food and agriculture in the next decade.’ Holger Puchta, a plant biochemist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, said Europe was uncoupling itself from the biggest revolution biology has seen in the last 30 years. Other scientists warned that with no prospect of commercial application in the EU, research funding would dry up leading to an exodus of scientific talent from Europe to North America.
EU farmers ‘hostages’ of unstable politics and technology gap, report claims
Euractiv, 4 September 2018
Lack of access to modern technologies combined with a fragile political landscape has put EU agriculture under enormous pressure when other major farm markets in the world are growing, a new report by market analysts AgbioInvestor has found. Commissioned by CropLife International, the report warns that EU agricultural productivity has stagnated while other major players in the farm sector have increased their productivity thanks to modern farming technologies. The report’s authors are particularly critical of the EU for blocking the development of crop biotechnology, which is flourishing in other parts of the world and has led to increased yields. “The USA, Brazil and China have seen drastic increases in agricultural productivity due to the adoption of new technologies, such as plant biotechnology and modern crop protection products,” the report notes.
Japan to follow USA in deciding not to regulate gene-edited crops as GMOs
NHK World - Japan, 21 August 2018
A government panel in Japan has followed the USA’s lead in deciding not to regulate some genome editing procedures as GMOs. The panel determined that while regulations governing genetic recombination would continue to apply to organisms that have had new genes inserted, GM regulation will not apply to genome editing in which mutations are produced at a targeted site without new genes inserted.
?Restricting GMOs in crops is a ‘grave mistake’, say plant scientists
Irish Times, 20 August 2018
'Ireland's decision to prohibit GM crops doesn't make sense'
The Journal, 20 August 2018
In a briefing issued in advance of this week’s congress of the International Association for Plant Biotechnology (IAPB), taking place in Dublin, two leading Irish plant scientists have warned that Irish agriculture could be consigned “to the scrapheap of history” following the recent ECJ ruling that gene edited crops should be regulated as GMOs and the Irish Government’s earlier ban on GM crop cultivation. Dr Barbara Doyle Prestwich and Dr Eoin Lettice of University College, Cork, highlighted the positive global contribution of GM crops in reducing GHG emissions, insisting that the Irish Government’s restriction was “completely at odds with Ireland’s obligations and ambitions for climate action”, adding that it was grossly misleading to equate ‘GMO cultivation-free status’ with ‘green, sustainable food [production]’, the basis for which the GM crop ban was recommended in Ireland.
Opinion: Trait-based regulation of GM plants is on the horizon – at last!
Agri-Pulse, 15 August 2018
Writing on the US news site Agri-Pulse, Nina Federoff – a former scientific adviser to the US Government – outlines USDA plans for regulating new breeding techniques such as genome editing, following a briefing from senior USDA officials. “I could barely believe what I was hearing. So here goes…..” she begins, reporting that USDA will confine its regulatory oversight to organisms that might actually damage agriculture, as specified under the Plant Protection Act (PPA). If the organism is neither a weed nor a plant pest, it will not be subject to regulation. But even if it is a plant pest or weed, the proposal is to issue permits that will allow developers to proceed to commercialisation, even as USDA regulators determine whether the modification might increase the organism’s potential to harm agriculture. Federoff suggests that this is a really important change, allowing US regulatory decisions to be based on the actual properties of the organism and the small number of traits that could be problematic, not on the method by which the trait was introduced. And new instances (previously called “events”) of organism/trait combinations that have already passed through the regulatory process will not have to do it again.
EU ruling on genetically edited crops may affect international trade
Fresh Fruit Portal, 3 August 2018
In addition to the stifling impact on genetic research and innovation within Europe, industry leaders have warned that the recent ECJ ruling classifying gene edited crops as GMOs could have far-reaching consequences for international trade. ESA secretary-general Garlich Von Essen told Fresh Fruit Portal that if exporter countries such as Brazil, Argentina, the USA or Chile do not regulate gene edited products as GMOs it will cause major disruption for imports into Europe, with lengthy delays in authorisation and, as such products cannot be detected using normal GM testing methods, the process of identifying them would be complex. Beat Späth, director for agricultural biotechnology at EuropaBio, said the ruling may therefore result in “new, non-tariff barriers for agricultural commodity trade.”
European GM ruling draws the ire of Australian grains industry
The Weekly Times, 1 August 2018
CropLife Australia chief executive Matthew Cossey said the ruling highlighted the “ridiculousness” of EU regulations on plant breeding. “This decision provides nothing but regulatory uncertainty and places a handbrake on crucial global research on gene-edited crops that was working towards improvements in food crop nutrition, crop ability to cope with changing climate conditions and increased farming yields. As it stands, this decision will send European agriculture back into the dark ages. It is also at odds with decisions and interpretations made elsewhere in the world, including Australia, the United States, South America and Israel,” Mr Cossey said.
US Agriculture Secretary slams European ruling on gene editing
Farmers Guardian, 30 July 2018
July’s ECJ ruling has been slammed by the USA. In an extraordinarily critical statement, US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said: “Government policies should encourage scientific innovation without creating unnecessary barriers or unjustifiably stigmatising new technologies. Unfortunately, this week’s ECJ ruling is a setback in this regard in that it narrowly considers newer genome editing methods to be within the scope of the EU’s regressive and outdated regulations governing GMOs. We encourage the EU to seek input from the scientific and agricultural communities, as well as its trading partners, in determining the appropriate implementation of the ruling.”
The Observer view on Europe’s ban on gene-editing crops
Observer editorial, 29 July 2018
A highly critical editorial in The Observer described the ECJ ruling as ‘illogical and absurd’, concluding: “To put it bluntly, Europe has saddled itself with an intellectually vacuous decision that will hobble its agricultural output for decades.”
CRISPR plants now subject to tough GM laws in European Union
Nature, 25 July 2018
Top EU court: GMO rules cover plant gene editing technique
Reuters, 25 July 2018
Gene editing is GM, says European Court
BBC News, 25 July 2018
European Court gene editing ruling declared a set-back for plant breeding
Farmers Guardian, 25 July 2018
Anti-GM groups call for halt to Rothamsted trial of genome edited camelina
GM Freeze & GM Watch, 25 July 2018
Following last week’s ECJ ruling that newer genome editing techniques should be regulated as GM, campaign groups GM Freeze and GM Watch have written jointly to Environment Secretary Michael Gove calling for a field trial of genome edited camelina at Rothamsted Research to be stopped immediately. In the light of the ECJ ruling, the groups claim the trial’s approval by Defra was unlawful and that any future trials of genome edited plants will require a full risk assessment and public consultation prior to their release into the environment.
Consent sought to release GM potatoes for UK trials work on blight
Farmers Guardian, 6 March 2019
The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, has applied to Defra for consent to release genetically modified potatoes for trials work.
According to a document submitted by the applicant and published on the Defra website, entitled ‘Part B Information about the release application to be included on the public register’, the potato plants have been genetically modified to improve different traits including resistance to Phytophthora infestans, the organism responsible for late blight; resistance to potato cyst nematodes (PCN); and improved tuber quality.
The application says that the plants are planned to be released at two locations. The first is Rothamsted Research, Brooms Barn, Hertfordshire, where the field trial is intended to start in June 2019 and continue until November 30, 2019. The second is a NIAB trial site in Cambridge. The experiments are intended to continue in 2020 and 2021, with plantings at the first and second locations from April 1 until November 30 in both years.
Since 2001, The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich says it has been working towards identifying, mapping and isolating resistance genes from potato that confer resistance against potato late blight.
Main goals
According to the application, the main goals of the proposed release are:
- to further demonstrate that the transferred late blight resistance genes offer a valuable method for controlling late blight of potatoes which does not rely on agricultural inputs (pesticides).
- to expose plants containing the newly identified genes to the local populations of late blight to confirm that they are useful and capable of conferring resistance in different geographical locations.
- to assess the agronomic performance and yield of the modified plants in comparison to wild-type Maris Piper plants subjected to standard fungicide sprays.
- to harvest tubers for detailed assessment of potential for browning and cold induced sweetening, as well as other relevant characteristics such as dry matter.
Even though some of the plants carry genes related to nematode resistance, this trait is said not to be within the scope of the proposed trial.
Defra is inviting representations on any risks of damage being caused to the environment by the release applied for in the application, which must be received by April 22, 2019.
Boosting corn yields with CRISPR-carrying pollen
European Scientist, 4 March 2019
Scientists have developed a single-step gene editing process that can increase corn yields.
The new technique uses pollen to transfer the components of CRISPR-Cas9 into another plant allowing them to produce gene edited corn, a process previously hindered by the thick cell walls of many plants, such as corn and wheat. Results of the first set of experiments were published on 4 March in Nature Biotechnology (1).
Gene editing is an important tool used by researchers in many areas of biology. However, several crop varieties, including staple crops like wheat and corn, are resistant to gene editing. While CRISPR–Cas9 works efficiently in plant cells, unlike animals and other plant species, these crops have a much thicker cell wall making it incredibly difficult to actually use the technique.
So, the researchers had to get creative with their approach. The team of scientists, led by Dr Timothy Kelliher and Dr Qiudeng Que from Syngenta, a global agriculture company, overcame this problem by combining two technologies: haploid induction and genome editing.
Haploid induction is a phenomenon that occurs when pollen fertilises a plant and the newly produced plant is haploid instead of diploid. This means it only one set of chromosomes, the female set and the “male” genetic material used to fertilize the plant is not passed on to offspring. Corn is normally diploid, but plants with a mutation in the MATRILINEAL gene are able to produce pollen that triggers this haploid induction.
The technique has become an important tool in maize breeding over the past 10 years ? even without gene editing, haploid induction enables more efficient crop production and therefore higher yields. But in this case, the effects can be enhanced even further by using pollen to carry the CRISPR toolkit from one genetically modified plant into the cells of another plant, thus realising “one-step genome editing”.
Initial experiments successfully produced corn varieties with larger kernels, and thus, higher yields. Although, thus far the process has only been demonstrated in the laboratory.
While the researchers focused on developing plants with higher yields, gene editing has the potential to generate other desirable traits, such as pest resistance thus reducing the need for pesticides and other chemicals that are harmful to both the environment and human health. Moreover, drought-resistant crops could be more robust in the face of the growing threats posed by climate change.
Technologies like this are becoming increasingly important, particularly, as the global trend toward a few high-value crop varieties continues to threaten sustainable agriculture - thus increasing the need for more robust crop species.
Based on this new technique, genetically modified plants could potentially be used to spread desirable traits to the other plants via pollination without permanently editing them since only the pollinated plant is affected but not its offspring. Therefore, since the CRISPR genes are not permanently put into the DNA of the resulting crops, the resulting plants are unlikely to be classified as genetically modified.
The researchers are hoping to expand the technology to other crops like wheat, as well as cabbage, broccoli, kale, and cauliflower.
GM ban cost SA farmers $33m: review
Australian Associated Press, 20 February 2019
The South Australian Government will consider overturning a longstanding moratorium on growing GM crops after an independent review concluded that the ban has cost the state's farmers up to $33 million since 2004, and that losses will increase by another $5 million if the ban continues to 2025. "Investment in agricultural science has suffered with the review finding the GM moratorium has discouraged both public and private investment in research and development in this state," Primary Industries Minister Tim Whetstone said. The minister said the review debunks many of the "myths" promoted by the previous Labour government in relation to the benefits of SA being GM-free, including premiums paid for non-GM canola. He said the review showed there was no premium paid for SA grain when compared with data from other states. The review also found that lifting the ban would provide a range of benefits to farmers, by increasing available crop varieties, reducing the use of chemicals and boosting farm productivity and profitability.
Opportunities Outweigh Challenges: Crop Gene Editing and the Food System
Globe Newswire, 13 February
A new report by US bank CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division has concluded that the lower costs and shorter development times of gene editing in agriculture offer the promise of delivering viable solutions to critical food system challenges including agricultural labour and water shortages, disease and chemical resistance, climate change, food waste and food security. Noting that investments in gene editing tools for agricultural crops have increased significantly in recent years and are set to intensify in 2019, the report – entitled Gene Editing: A Potential Game Changer for Crop Agriculture and Specialty Crops - suggests that 20 new gene-edited crops will become available in the US in the next five years. Download the full report here.
Genetic Literacy Project, 11 February 2019
Writing on the Genetic Literacy Project website, science writer Cameron English reviews the strengthening rebellion taking place among frustrated EU scientists and governments against last July’s CJEU ruling that gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR should be regulated as GMOs. He suggests that the defiance emerging in member states such as the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium and the UK indicate that the gene-editing controversy in Europe is unlikely to die down soon, with senior scientists appointed to advise the EU commission urging regulators to roll-back key elements of the new policy, and Dutch MEP Jan Huitema calling for a “pragmatic debate” to replace the “dogmatic” discussions about crop gene editing, a sentiment echoed by EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan who said the big issue to decide in 2019 would be between the application of science or the application of political opinions.
Gene editing: how agri-tech is fighting to shape the food we eat
Financial Times, 9 February 2019
The Financial Times carries an in-depth review of the prospects for gene editing, highlighting in particular the increased interest in the technology among agri-tech start-ups and venture capital firms thanks to the lower cost and potentially shorter times to market. The article suggests that – according to some legal and regulatory experts - the CJEU ruling in Europe may not be as far-reaching as plant scientists fear, but also emphasises the need for gene editing companies and scientists to get ‘social licence’ for what they do from the public by generating trust and explaining what they do, in the face of entrenched opposition from influential campaign groups such as Friends of the Earth.
Rapid gene cloning technique to transform crop disease protection
Farming UK, 4 February 2019?
Researchers have pioneered a new method which allows them to rapidly recruit disease resistance genes from wild plants and transfer them into domestic crops.
The technique called AgRenSeq or speed cloning has been developed by John Innes Centre researchers alongside colleagues in the United States and Australia to speed up the fight against pathogens that threaten food crops worldwide.
It enables researchers to search a genetic “library” of resistance genes discovered in wild relatives of modern crops so they can rapidly identify sequences associated with disease fighting capability.
From there researchers can use laboratory techniques to clone the genes and introduce them into elite varieties of domestic crops to protect them against pathogens and pests such as rusts, powdery mildew and Hessian fly.
By making crops more disease resistant AgRenSeq will help to improve yields and reduce the use of pesticides, says Dr Brande Wulff, a project leader at the John Innes Centre.
“Having speed cloning in our toolkit means that elite crops can be made more resilient which means higher yields and reduced reliance on pesticides to protect crops,” he says.
“We have found a way to scan the genome of a wild relative of a crop plant and pick out the resistance genes we need: and we can do it in record time. This used to be a process that took ten or 15 years and was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Now we can clone these genes in a matter of months and for thousands of pounds instead of millions.”
Genetic diversity
The research, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, reveals that AgRenSeq has been successfully trialled in a wild relative of wheat.
Researchers have identified and cloned four resistance genes for the devastating stem rust pathogen in the space of months. This process would easily take a decade using conventional means.
The work in wild wheat is being used as a proof of concept, preparing the way for the method to be utilised in protecting many crops which have wild relatives including, soybean, pea, cotton, maize, potato, wheat, barley, rice, banana and cocoa.
Modern elite crops have, in the search for higher yields and other desirable agronomic traits, lost a lot of genetic diversity especially for disease resistance.
Re-introducing disease resistance genes from wild relatives is an economic and environmentally sustainable approach to breeding more resilient crops. However, introgression of these genes into crops is a laborious process using traditional breeding methods.
CRISPR for coeliacs? Gene-editing tech makes ‘wheat with safe gluten’
Food Navigator, 29 January 2019
Research conducted at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and NIAB in the UK has found that gene-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 can be used to remove epitopes – the molecules responsible for inducing coeliac disease in susceptible individuals – from the gliadin proteins in wheat gluten. Richard Visser, chair and head of plant breeding at Wageningen, said the research suggest that not all gluten be removed from wheat, just the epitopes that can induce coeliac disease. Wheat gluten acts as a compositional protein, and is needed to improve texture and consistency. “If the epitopes are taken out, or changed, then the gluten proteins will not trigger the immunogenic response and people suffering from the disease could eat all kinds of products containing this safe gluten,” said Visser. Coeliac UK chief executive Sarah Sleet commented: “This is an interesting development with great potential to meet the gluten-free standard necessary for those people diagnosed with coeliac disease – a serious autoimmune condition.”
The GM chickens that lay eggs with anti-cancer drugs
BBC News, 28 January 2019?
BBC News reports that UK researchers at Roslin Technologies in Edinburgh have genetically modified chickens to lay eggs containing drugs for arthritis and some cancers. The drugs could be up to 100 times cheaper to produce than when manufactured in factories. Scientists have previously shown that genetically modified goats, rabbits and chickens can be used to produce protein therapies in their milk or eggs. The researchers say their new approach is more efficient, produces better yields and is more cost-effective than these previous attempts. Professor Helen Sang, of the University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute, said: "We are not yet producing medicines for people, but this study shows that chickens are commercially viable for producing proteins suitable for drug discovery studies and other applications in biotechnology."
Application for Field Trial of Genetically Modified Organisms: High Iron Wheat and CRISPR Brassica
John Innes Centre, 16 January 2019
Researchers at the John Innes Centre have applied to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for consent to conduct field trials of genetically modified (GM) wheat and gene-edited Brassica (CRISPR).
The two small-scale field trials are planned to take place at the John Innes Centre on the Norwich Research Park, within our existing, confined, GM trial facilities, between April and September in each year from 2019 to 2022.
The wheat trial follows research at the John Innes Centre that identified a gene, TaVIT2, which encodes for an iron transporter in wheat.
The scientists used this knowledge to develop a wheat line in which more iron is directed into the endosperm, the part of the grain from which white flour is milled.
Iron deficiency or anaemia is a global health issue, but the iron content of staple crops such as wheat has been difficult to improve using conventional breeding, and as a result many wheat products for human consumption are artificially fortified with iron.
Increasing the nutritional quality of crops, known as biofortification, is a sustainable approach to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies. The applicant for the wheat field trial is Professor Cristobal Uauy, a project leader the John Innes Centre.
In the same application to Defra, John Innes Centre project leader, Professor Lars Ostergaard, has requested consent to trial Brassica oleracea plants, modified using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology. This technology allows researchers to prevent an existing gene from functioning, to confirm the function of a given gene.
This field trial is designed to determine the role of the gene, MYB28, which regulates sulphur metabolism, in field-grown Brassica oleracea; a species that includes many common foods such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and Brussels sprouts.
The production of sulphur-containing compounds in Brassica vegetables is of economic and nutritional significance due to their health-promoting potential.
The applications are made under section 111 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and will be considered by the Secretary of State along with any representations relating to any risk of environmental impact.
The Secretary of State will place information on this proposed GMO release on a public register within 12 days of receipt of the application. The reference number for these applications are 19/R52/01 and 19/R52/02.
The public register can be inspected by contacting the Defra GM team at: GM Team, DEFRA Area 3B Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR Z20tcmVndWxhdGlvbkBkZWZyYS5nc2kuZ292LnVr
Strongest opponents of GM foods know the least but think they know the most
The Guardian, 14 January 2019
The Guardian and other media outlets report this week on new research indicating that the most extreme opponents of GM foods know the least about science but believe they know the most. The researchers asked more than 2000 American and European adults for their opinions about GM foods, including how well they understand GM foods, and subsequently tested their actual knowledge using a true-false questionnaire on science and genetics. Philip Fernbach, lead author of the study published in Nature Human Behaviour, believes the research could have major implications for science and policy communication. “Our research shows that you need to add something else to the equation,” he said. “Extremists think they understand this stuff already, so they are not going to be very receptive to education. You first need to get them to appreciate the gaps in their knowledge.”
Gene editing could create spicy tomatoes
The Guardian, 7 January 2019
Spicy tomatoes could soon be on the menu thanks to the rise of genome-editing technology, say researchers. The Guardian reports that researchers in Brazil and Ireland believe such methods also could offer practical advantages, with spicy tomatoes offering a way of harvesting capsaicinoids, the pungent chemicals found in chilli peppers. “Capsaicinoids are very valuable compounds; they are used in [the] weapons industry for pepper spray, they are also used for anaesthetics [and] there is some research showing that they promote weight loss,” said Agustin Zsögön from the Federal University of Viçosa in Brazil, co-author of an article arguing for the benefits of engineering hot tomatoes.
Genetically modified 'shortcut' boosts plant growth by 40%
BBC News, 3 January 2019?
BBC News reports that scientists in the US have engineered tobacco plants that can grow up to 40% larger than normal in field trials. Using GM techniques, the researchers say they have found a way of overcoming natural restrictions in the process of photosynthesis that consume energy through photorespiration and limit crop productivity. They believe the method could be used to significantly boost yields from important crops including rice, soybean, potato and wheat. The study has been published in the journal Science.
Gove: Gene-editing and lab-grown food will be part of the ag revolution
AgriLand, 3 January 2019
Environment Secretary Michael Gove used his Oxford Farming Conference speech to urge the farming industry to embrace the opportunities provided by the ‘fourth agricultural revolution’. He pledged investment in research and development to accelerate technological advances such as the drive towards artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning and robotics. He also reiterated his support for gene editing: “Gene-editing holds out the promise of dramatically accelerating the gains we have secured through selective breeding in the past. The ability to give Mother Nature a helping hand by driving the process of evolution at higher speed should allow us to develop plant varieties and crops which are more resistant to disease and pests and less reliant on chemical protection and chemical fertiliser. They will be higher-yielding and more environmentally sustainable,” he said.
Nobel laureates dismiss fears about genetically modified foods
The Guardian, 7 December 2018
Winners of this year’s Nobel prize for chemistry say overblown fears about genetically modified foods risk preventing society benefiting from the technology. Prof Frances Arnold, from the US, and Sir Gregory Winter, from Britain, made the comments on Friday ahead of Monday’s presentation of the prize.
“We’ve been modifying the biological world at the level of DNA for thousands of years,” Arnold said at a news conference, citing examples such as new dog breeds. “Somehow there is this new fear of what we already have been doing and that fear has limited our ability to provide real solutions.”
Arnold argued that genetically modified crops could make food production more environmentally sustainable and help feed the world’s growing population. Genetic modifications can make crops drought and disease resistant.
Winter said that current regulations on GM needed to be “loosened up”.
Arnold and Winter were awarded this year’s Nobel prize in chemistry, along with the American scientist George Smith, for their work in harnessing evolution to produce new enzymes and antibodies. Their work led to the development of new fuels and pharmaceuticals by making use of nature’s evolutionary processes themselves, leading to medical and environmental advances.
Canada makes strides on low level presence
Western Producer, 6 December 2018
The Canadian Government has developed a policy model to avoid costly market disruption if traces of unapproved GM crops are found in shipments. Agriculture Canada is using the model to promote discussions with key trade partners on the issue. Its proposals would establish a three percent tolerance threshold for the presence of a GM crop that has not been approved by an importing country as long as it has been approved by at least one exporting nation in accordance with Codex guidelines and has been submitted for approval by the importer. Canada is sharing its model with 15 importing and exporting countries at the Global Low-Level Presence Initiative (GLI). Although Canada’s grains industry would have preferred a five percent threshold to better reflect the realities of shipping grain in a bulk handling system, the Canada Grains Council applauded the government for leading the initiative on one of its priority non-tariff trade barriers.
Indian scientist explores way to grow crops in arsenic contaminated soil
Business Standard, 5 December 2018
An Indian scientist working in the UK is using GM research to develop food crops capable of growing in arsenic contaminated soil, a study which is likely to have wide ranging impacts for farmers in India and other parts of the world where naturally occurring arsenic in soil and water supplies is a problem. Dr Mohan TC of the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick, has conducted a pilot study in transgenic barley and now plans to replicate his research in rice plants. The research involves producing GM plants which restrict the translocation of arsenic to the edible part of the plant by enhancing its capacity to hold and detoxify more arsenic in the roots. Arsenic in soil is a worldwide problem. The chemical is carcinogenic and is naturally found in water supplies and soil, particularly in parts of North-east India and Bangladesh.
WTO members sign international statement on plant breeding innovation
Thirteen countries have signed up to a statement released through the World Trade Organisation committing to functional, risk-based regulatory approaches that encourage innovation and facilitate trade to unlock the benefits from the latest scientific advances such as gene editing. The statement sends a strong message to governments around the world about the need for farmers to access innovative agricultural technologies to address global challenges such as food security and climate change, and the need for international collaboration and alignment to minimise unnecessary barriers to trade related to the regulatory oversight of products of precision biotechnology.
Countries supporting the statement to date are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Jordan, Paraguay, the U.S.A, Uruguay, Vietnam and the Secretariat of the Economic Community of West African States.
Welcoming the statement, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) said: “This is a strong showing of support by governments around the world in recognition of the necessity of continued evolution in plant breeding and the critical role it will play in ensuring a more sustainable and secure global food production system. Seed is a global industry, and in light of the recent disappointing decision by the European Court of Justice, efforts such as this international statement are more important than ever in working towards the goal of global alignment on policies around agricultural innovation.”
Media coverage:
WTO members voice support for plant breeding innovation
Feedstuffs, 2 November 2018
Canada joins global partners in support of agriculture innovation and trade
Seedquest, 2 November 2018
Seedquest, 2 November 2018
Ingredients from genome edited crops on the horizon in the United States
Food Business News, 30 October 2018
Food Business News reports that the promise of gene editing is rapidly approaching reality in the US food and drink sector with ingredients derived using the advanced plant breeding techniques nearing commercialisation. Earlier this month, biotech company Calyxt announced an agreement with KemX Global to refine high-oleic soybean oil developed using genome editing. The ingredient is expected to be introduced to the market later this year or in 2019. Calyxt also said its gene edited high fibre wheat is on track for commercialization in 2020 or 2021. But the article warns that US consumer reaction to gene edited foods and ingredients remains unclear, and that consumers may not distinguish between gene editing and GMOs, prompting the same backlash that has stifled the development of GMO ingredients.
UK urged to ‘bring back’ sound science as the basis for regulating crop genetic innovations post-Brexit
A new report issued today entitled ‘UK plant genetics: a regulatory environment to maximise advantage to the UK economy post Brexit’, authored by UK agricultural economist Graham Brookes of PG Economics and commissioned by the Agricultural Biotechnology Council (ABC), examines future options for the regulation of genetic innovation in the UK. It warns that a failure to break away from EU regulation in this area would stop the UK from closing a research gap that scientists say is undermining the development of valuable crop innovations.
The report:
- considers three future scenarios for the regulation of gene edited crops and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), ranging from maintaining current alignment with the EU through improved implementation of EU rules, to the UK setting its own regulatory path on both GMOs and NBTs;
- highlights that the EU crop biotechnology regulatory system has already contributed to a significant loss of high value-added research scientist jobs and has left the UK subject to a crop trait research and development ‘gap’. Private sector research and development expenditure in the sector has fallen dramatically in the last 20 years, from about £50 million per year in the late 1990s to about £1.25 million today;
- finds that if the UK sets its own sound-science-based regulatory system post-Brexit, it could provide a first-class food safety assessment system that potentially gives farmers better seed, improves their competitiveness, better meets consumer demands and maximises long-term economic and wider societal benefits to the UK.
Read the full report.
Press release and early media coverage:
Rely on science for new crop rules in clean Brexit break from EU regulations, Whitehall told
Yorkshire Post, 10 October 2018?
Brexit: Leaving EU ‘will give freedom to grow more GM crops’
The Times, 10 October 2018?
Survey Reveals UK Public Favours GM Crops
Crop Biotech Update, 26 September 2018
The UK public is well-informed and favours science and technology, however the politicians are ignoring their hopes and fears. This is according to the results of the 2018 New Scientist survey of public attitudes to science, technology, medicine, and environment.
The survey was conducted online by Sapio Research in August 2018 to a representative sample of 2,026 UK adults. Results showed that the top issues that are of interest of the public are genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, cancer, and climate change. They said that these topics "most likely to have an impact on society and human life." Furthermore, the survey revealed that majority (69%) are in favor of genetically modified (GM) crops, stating that they could help feed the world. A big percentage (80%) also believe that genetic engineering could help cure or eradicate diseases.
Read more from New Scientist.
To save iconic American chestnut, researchers plan introduction of genetically engineered tree into the wild
Science Magazine, 29 August 2018
American chestnut trees once dominated forests in eastern North America. But in the early 1900s, a deadly fungal infection appeared on trees and spread rapidly. The so-called chestnut blight—an accidental import from Asia—essentially erased the trees from forests. Now researchers have created a GM chestnut that resists the blight, Science Magazine reports. And in the coming weeks, they plan to formally ask US regulators to allow their transgenic trees to breed with non-engineered relatives and grow wild in forests. If the regulators approve the request, it would be precedent setting—the first use of a GM tree to try to restore a native species in North America. But three agencies are expected to review the proposal, and it could take years to reach a decision.
Read the full story here
Scientists create GM crops to use less water
i-news, 6 March 2018
A major agricultural breakthrough is on the cards after scientists genetically modified a crop to grow with less water.
By injecting extra copies of a key gene into a group of tobacco plants researchers were able to cut their water usage by 25 per cent.
This is the first time a plant has been genetically modified to grow with less water and has raised hopes that the process can be applied to a wide variety of food crops, such as rice and soya beans.
Help conserve water
It would go some way to solving the problem of how to feed the growing world population while preserving dwindling water reserves – since agriculture uses around 90 per cent of global freshwater supplies.
“This is a major breakthrough. This manipulation should be effective across all crops,” said one of the researchers, Professor Stephen Long, of the University of Illinois, Urbania.
Crop yields have steadily improved over the past 60 years but the amount of water required to produce one ton of grain remains unchanged – which led most to assume that this wouldn’t change, until now, said Prof Long, also of the University of Lancaster.
Positive reaction
Professor Tracy Lawson, of the University of Essex, who was not involved in the research, added: “This is a very exciting paper and very important as water use efficiency will be key to ensuring crop productivity in the future.”
In plant growth, the stomata open to allow carbon dioxide to enter and fuel photosynthesis, using sunlight – a process that releases water into the air. In their experiments, the researchers increased levels of a protein known as PsbS, which determines how much light is used in photosynthesis.
By increasing PsbS levels the plant’s stomata is tricked into thinking there is not enough light for photosynthesis and so it doesn’t open up to let the carbon dioxide in – or the water out.
The research is published in the journal Nature Communications. It also involved researchers from the Institute of Plant Genetics in Poland and the University of California at Berkeley.
https://inews.co.uk/news/science/scientists-create-gm-crops-use-less-water/
Impact of genetically engineered maize on agronomic, environmental and toxicological traits: a meta-analysis of 21 years of field data
Elisa Pellegrino, Stefano Bedini, Marco Nuti & Laura Ercoli
Nature, Scientific Reports, volume 8, Article number: 3113(2018), 15 February 2018
Abstract
Despite the extensive cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) maize and considerable number of scientific reports on its agro-environmental impact, the risks and benefits of GE maize are still being debated and concerns about safety remain. This meta-analysis aimed at increasing knowledge on agronomic, environmental and toxicological traits of GE maize by analyzing the peer-reviewed literature (from 1996 to 2016) on yield, grain quality, non-target organisms (NTOs), target organisms (TOs) and soil biomass decomposition. Results provided strong evidence that GE maize performed better than its near isogenic line: grain yield was 5.6 to 24.5% higher with lower concentrations of mycotoxins (−28.8%), fumonisin (−30.6%) and thricotecens (−36.5%). The NTOs analyzed were not affected by GE maize, except for Braconidae, represented by a parasitoid of European corn borer, the target of Lepidoptera active Bt maize. Biogeochemical cycle parameters such as lignin content in stalks and leaves did not vary, whereas biomass decomposition was higher in GE maize. The results support the cultivation of GE maize, mainly due to enhanced grain quality and reduction of human exposure to mycotoxins. Furthermore, the reduction of the parasitoid of the target and the lack of consistent effects on other NTOs are confirmed.
Read the full study online:
A new Merkel-led government could be good news for German science
Science Magazine, 23 January 2018
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/new-merkel-led-government-could-be-good-news-german-science
Science magazine reports that while the blueprint for coalition talks between Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) include ambitious plans to increase Germany’s science budget from 2.9% to 3.5% of GDP, the outlook is less positive for agri-science, including proposals for a national ban on planting GM crops and to reduce the use of the herbicide glyphosate “with the goal of ending its use as soon as possible.” The article notes that although a ban on GM crop cultivation would have little practical impact since no GM crops are currently grown in Germany, a formal legal rejection in Europe’s biggest economy could carry considerable symbolic value.
Gene edited crops should be exempted from GM food laws, says EU lawyer
The Guardian, 18 January 2018
Technology can help foster specific positive traits in plants but can also have potentially dangerous ‘off-target’ effects, say critics
Leading anti-GM campaigners have weighed in following last week’s legal opinion issued by the EU Advocate General indicating that new plant breeding methods based on mutagenesis should be exempt from GMO rules. According to The Guardian, Dr Michael Antoniou, the head of the molecular genetics department at King’s College London and a long-standing critic of GM technology, said exempting new plant-breeding technologies from GM laws was “wrong and potentially dangerous”, and could result in the unexpected production of a new toxin or allergenic substance. Meanwhile Friends of the Earth Europe called for the European Court of Justice “to not uphold today’s opinion, and instead make sure that all new genetically modified foods and crops are properly regulated.”
French seed group says GMO protests could force R&D relocation
Reuters, 16 January 2018
Limagrain, the world’s fourth-largest seed company, will consider moving its research activities out of France if field trials continue to be sabotaged by opponents of GM crops. The French cooperative group was targeted last month by activists who ruined a 37-hectare trial of non-GM wheat in the latest in a series of actions by protestors opposed to gene-editing technology, which they claim will herald a new generation of GMOs. According to Reuters, Limagrain said the incident highlighted the risk of a repeat of the virulent debate over GMOs as the EU prepares to decide how to regulate the next generation of gene-editing techniques, “If we have repetition of this kind of problem, I will be the first to say that we should relocate our research and not conduct it in France,” Limagrain president Jean-Yves Foucault told reporters.
CRISPR edited crops reaching US market in record time
Nature Biotechnology, 15 January 2018
Read full text of article here
Nature Biotechnology reports that USDA is making increasingly clear that CRISPR–Cas9-edited plants can be cultivated and sold in the US without GMO-style regulation. The agency gave a free pass to Camelina sativa, or false flax, with enhanced omega-3 oil. More recently, in October, USDA determined that a drought-tolerant soybean variety developed using CRISPR falls outside of its regulatory scope, saving years and tens of millions of dollars on the cost of bringing a biotech plant to market. According to Oliver Peoples, CEO of Yield10 Bioscience, it would have taken at least six years and $30–50 million to test and collect the data necessary to bring GM camelina through the full USDA regulatory process. “We did this in two years and [USDA’s decision] took two months, and I assure you we didn’t spend $30 million on it,” he says. The gene-edited camelina and the drought-tolerant soybean are two of at least five CRISPR–Cas9-edited organisms to sidestep USDA’s regulatory system in the last two years.
Less chewing the cud, more greening the fuel
Science Daily, 8 January 2018
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180108090255.htm
Researchers from the UK (Rothamsted), Brazil and the US have pinpointed a gene involved in the stiffening (feruloylation) of plant cell walls whose suppression increases the release of sugars by up to 60%. The team used transgenic techniques to suppress the endogenous gene responsible for feruloylation to around 20% of its normal activity. The biomass produced is less feruloylated than it would otherwise be in an unmodified plant. The findings could lead to significant improvements in feed conversion efficiency in ruminant livestock, and will be a boon to countries like Brazil, where a burgeoning bioenergy industry produces ethanol from the non-food leftovers of other grass crops, such as maize stover and sugarcane residues, and from sugar cane grown as a dedicated energy crop. Increased efficiency of bioethanol production will help it to replace fossil fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
GM crop ban extended in South Australia
The Weekly Times, 20 November 2017
The ban on growing GM crops in the state of South Australia looks set to be extended to 2025, after a bill tabled by the Greens to extend the current state-wide moratorium passed the upper house of the South Australian Parliament by one vote last week. South Australia is the only mainland state which still prohibits GM crops. Similar bans were lifted in New South Wales and Victoria in 2008, and in Western Australia in 2010. Grain Producers South Australia expressed outraged that they were not consulted about the moratorium extension which they said would make SA growers less competitive than farmers in other states. Opposition agriculture spokesman David Ridgeway labelled the moratoria extension as “crazy” and said such decisions should be based on science, not ideology. CropLife Australia also slammed the decision saying: “South Australian farmers will continue to be shackled by narrow, misguided, anti-science party politics for a further six years”. According to industry estimates, 486,447ha of GM canola was planted across Australia this year, up 8.6 per cent on last year, and nationally GM canola is predicted to make up 21 per cent of the entire crop.
‘Like it or not, Africa’s future lies in GM crops’
The Times, 20 November 2017
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/comment/like-it-or-not-africa-s-future-lies-in-gm-crops-ln5bxrxqp
Writing in The Times, columnist Matt Ridley argues that short-sighted opposition to biotechnology is leaving African farmers at the mercy of pests, disease and worse. Influenced by European environmentalists, he notes that most African countries rejected GM crops while farmers in the Americas benefited from their adoption. But fortunately, he observes, inch by inch Africa is changing its mind on biotech, with South Africa already growing GM maize and Nigeria, Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya all slowly changing their legislation. As gene-editing emerges as the next technology to help farming, Ridley highlights the opportunity for British plant scientists, freed from Europe’s deadly precautionary principle, to support colleagues in Africa. He concludes: “Those who think poverty a price worth paying for nostalgia say we should go back to traditional agriculture, in better harmony with the land. Not if we want wildlife. Globally, if we had the yields of 1960 we would need more than twice as much land to feed today’s population. In which case, you could kiss goodbye to all rainforests, nature reserves and national parks.”
GM tomatoes have beneficial health properties
Food Processing, 14 November 2017
A team of plant scientists from Hong Kong and France has boosted the antioxidant properties in tomatoes by inserting a gene originally from an Indian mustard plant known to promote higher enzyme activity and significantly increased production of beneficial nutrients such as vitamin E, provitamin A and lycopene. Published in Plant Biotechnology Journal, the researchers also noted that the enhanced antioxidants caused by genetically modifying the tomatoes did not cause the fruit to change in appearance or size. Lead researcher Prof Chye Mee-len said: “The accumulation of the healthy components in food crops would provide added value to fruits and vegetables in the human diet, as well as enrich feed for livestock and aquaculture. Extracts with enriched phytosterols, vitamin E and carotenoids can be used in the production of anti-ageing cream and suncare lotion. These compounds show excellent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.”
GMO Apples Head to the Midwest
Bloomberg, 2 November 2017
- First harvest of non-browning fruit to sell in 400 U.S. stores
- Consumer concerns over GMO food may cause some pushback
Genetically modified fruit salad just got real. Along with virus-resistant papayas, apples are joining the ranks of biotech fruit sold in U.S. grocery stores. The first commercial harvest of GMO golden delicious apples will be going from Washington state orchards to around 400 Midwestern grocery stores in early November. They’ll be sold sliced up in 10-ounce grab bags, and because they’re modified, they take much longer to brown when exposed to the air.
While GMO crops are the mainstream for U.S. commodities like corn and soybeans, that isn’t the case with fruits. There’s little financial incentive to develop and commercialize modified fruits because of the costs of changing food rules and the risks of consumer pushback, said Kevin Folta, a horticulture professor at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Papayas from Hawaii, engineered to resist a deadly virus, are the only other biotech fruit at supermarkets.
There’s no evidence that genetically modified foods cause any health problems, but the technology is still controversial, with some consumers willing to pay more for food with GMO-free labeling.
But Summerland, British Columbia-based Okanagan Specialty Fruits is making a bet that the convenience of non-browning apples will make up for consumer concerns. The company harvested about 50 metric tons of the so-called Arctic apples, the moniker given to the GMO crop. That’s enough to supply the supermarkets for around two months, President Neal Carter said by email. The long-lasting, fresh-cut fruits will especially appeal to parents with busy lifestyles, and will fetch a premium in pricing, he said.
Lunchbox Apples
“Whatever people’s views about GMO technology and Arctic apples are, no one is disputing that increasing consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is a healthy choice,” said Peter Hirst, a professor of horticulture at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. “If this technology leads to more people including more sliced apples in kids’ lunchboxes, that’s a good thing.”
Genetically modifying apples in particular could be a risky wager. Because apples are seen as a quintessentially healthy product that parents provide for children, it’s a sensitive market, said Jim McFerson, professor of horticulture at Washington State University in Pullman. Some growers in the Pacific Northwest, the biggest region for U.S. production of the fruit, have felt that being the first industry to bring a GMO product into such a sensitive market could hurt the apple’s positive image, McFerson said.
Still, consumers are used to having an abundance of choices when it comes to apples, which could help the GMO Arctic apple, according to Purdue’s Hirst. While strawberries are simply strawberries to most shoppers, apples come in a multitude of varieties, many of which sell for a hefty premium, like Honeycrisps.
The GMO apple has been in the works for decades. Okanagan’s Carter and his wife Louisa founded the company in 1996, and field trials with the Arctic Apple started in 2003. The U.S. Department of Agriculture deregulated the product in 2015.
Modified Trait
The Arctic apple’s trait is achieved by suppressing a gene that releases an enzyme that causes browning. Most GMO crops provide a benefit to growers by increasing productivity, like providing pest or weed control. But foods engineered with traits that appeal to consumers like more vitamins could lead to shoppers seeking out the product, Hirst said.
Biotech foods don’t need to be declared as such on labels in the U.S., so the Arctic apples won’t be marked as genetically modified. Information about how the fruit is produced will be available on a quick response, or QR, code, on the company’s website and through a toll-free telephone number.
Apple consumption in the U.S. has been stagnant for 20 years amid worsening obesity, and Okanagan’s Carter wants the Arctic apple to help revive demand by improving the fruit’s appearance. Currently, about 280 acres of Arctic apple trees are planted in Washington state, including Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Fuji varieties. Carter anticipates increasing that number to more than 1,000 acres by 2020. The company is planning future plantings in Canada and other countries.
Some consumers tried the Arctic apples earlier this year when the company was conducting market research in six cities, and this is the first time the product will be sold in stores. More than 90 percent of the consumers that tried them said they would buy them if available in their local stores, Carter said.
“The purpose of Arctic apples is definitely to promote healthy eating, boost apple consumption and reduce food waste, no matter what your age, income, or any other factor,” Carter said.
US scientists develop protein rich corn
NDTV, 10 October 2017
NDTV reports that plant scientists at Rutgers University in the US have discovered a way to develop corn with higher levels of methionine, an amino acid found in meat and an important nutrient for skin, hair and nail health. The scientists inserted an E. coli bacterial gene into the corn plant's genome, which increased the methionine in corn kernels by 57% without affecting plant growth. The research, recently published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help in producing a more nutritionally rich crop with the potential to benefit millions of people in developing countries where corn is a staple food.
https://www.ndtv.com/food/us-scientists-discover-way-to-create-protein-rich-corn-1760926
Australian company leads race to produce first omega-3 plant oil
Undercurrent News, 10 October 2017
Australian company Nufarm has harvested 1,600 hectares of omega-3 enriched GM canola plants in the US state of Washington, and plans to sell its first output to the aquaculture industry in 2019 pending US government approval. It heralds a new era for salmon farmers, who will be able to purchase oil rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) fatty acids sourced from plants instead of fish oil. Nufarm is actively seeking partnerships with farmers and oil crushers to scale up its AquaTerra product, which is the end-result of extensive research carried out by Australia's Commonwealth and Scientific Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) into algae strands.
Industry calls for ‘leadership’ on plant breeding innovation
EurActiv, 27 September 2017
EurActiv reports that plant breeders and biotech companies have urged the European Commission to show “leadership and positive commitment” to plant breeding innovation by providing clarity on the status of novel breeding technologies such as genome editing and creating a supportive regulatory framework that will enable Europe’s researchers and farmers to compete with the rest of the world.
CRISPR-edited wheat used to make coeliac-friendly bread
New Scientist, 26 September 2017
New Scientist reports on encouraging progress by Spanish scientists to develop strains of wheat that do not produce gliadin proteins, the form of gluten that triggers a dangerous immune reaction in coeliac sufferers. Researchers at the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture in Cordoba are using CRISPR gene-editing techniques to remove the genes responsible for producing the gliadin proteins. It is a huge task because there are no fewer than 45 copies of the gene for the main gliadin protein that causes problems, but the scientists report that they have already managed to knock out 35 of the 45 genes. More genes need to be disabled before the CRISPR strain is ready for testing, but the outlook is promising as the team have already shown that the modified wheat strain makes acceptable bread.
First commercial crop of non-browning Arctic Apples to hit US stores
FruitNet, 26 September 2017
After initial trials in selected US supermarkets earlier this year, FruitNet reports that Okanagan Specialty Fruits is gearing up for the first commercial crop of its non-browning apples this autumn. Marketed under the Arctic Apples brand, the genetically modified fruit have been engineered using a gene silencing technique to dramatically reduce the production of polyphenol oxidase (PPO), an enzyme that causes browning when the fruit is sliced or bruised. Approximately 80ha of Arctic Apple trees, expected to yield 9,000 tonnes, have been planted in Washington State and this is planned to double next year. The apples will be available in stores from October to December, or until supplies run out. Given the high level of interest from the foodservice sector, however, the company is also keen to develop this channel once production volumes increase. Following the initial US launch the label will be rolled out to the Canadian market. Ultimately, Okanagan hopes to grow Arctic into widely recognised global brand.
http://www.fruitnet.com/americafruit/article/173482/non-browning-apples-land-in-us-stores
Scientist says SNP isn’t explaining GM benefits
The Times, 23 September 2017
Former EU chief scientist Dame Anne Glover, speaking as newly elected President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, has criticised the SNP-led Scottish government for failing to inform the public about the potential benefits of GM crops, and believes this is why public opinion remains largely hostile. According to The Times, she said there were strong arguments for introducing GM potato crops in Scotland – a major producer and exporter of seed potatoes - because they could prevent up to 15 annual sprayings of fungicide, currently needed to protect potatoes from blight. She said that these benefits were not being presented to the public, and she would “like to know why not”.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/scotland/scientist-says-snp-isnt-explaining-gm-benefits-lh2cjvcbv
EU and GMOs: The case for a knowledge-based society
Euractiv, 21 September 2017
In an opinion article on the EurActiv news website, European scientists Roberto Defez and Dennis Eriksson welcome the recent ruling by the European Court of Justice that fears about GMOs are scientifically unfounded, and suggest that the judgement presents an opportunity to start recovering a rational, science-based approach. The technology used to produce GMOs is already old and mainstream, they argue, with emerging genome editing technology now adding to the breeder´s toolbox and providing easy, rapid, precise and powerful means to reduce input use and help plants withstand climate changes.
ECJ rules governments must not ban GM crops without evidence
Politico, 13 September 2017
The European Court of Justice ruled today that EU governments cannot adopt unilateral measures to stop the cultivation of genetically modified crops if there’s insufficient scientific evidence of a serious risk to human health.
The court’s judgment came in response to a request from Italy to the European Commission to adopt emergency measures to prohibit the cultivation of Monsanto’s MON 810 maize crop after doubts were raised by two research institutes about its effect on human health and the environment.
Although the Commission found those doubts to be unfounded, Italy went ahead and banned the crop, prosecuting farmer Giorgio Fidenato who planted the GM corn on his land in northern Italy.
The Court today deemed that decision was wrong because “both EU food law and EU legislation on genetically modified food and feed seek to ensure a high level of protection of human health and consumers’ interest.”
“In that context, the Court finds that, where it is not evident that genetically modified products are likely to constitute a serious risk to human health, animal health or the environment, neither the Commission nor the Member States have the option of adopting emergency measures such as the prohibition on the cultivation of maize MON 810,” the Court added.
The ruling also noted that the precautionary principle — which allows for a more careful approach on authorizing a substance should there be a high level of scientific uncertainty surroudning its safety — is not grounds to ban GM crops “since those foods have already gone through a full scientific assessment before being placed on the market.”
http://www.politico.eu/pro/ecj-rules-governments-must-not-ban-gm-crops-without-evidence/
Amsterdam wants to revive talks on new plant breeding techniques
Euractiv, 11 September 2017
Euractiv reports on a recent proposal from the Dutch government to take the initiative in exempting new gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR from Europe’s GMO regulations, even before the EU Court of Justice is due to rule on the issue next year. The Dutch proposal argues that the lack of legal certainty on the regulatory status of these breeding technologies is stifling innovation and investment, and that the current state-of-play is not beneficial for the protection of the environment, human health or EU competitiveness. But the Dutch plan has been dismissed by industry and NGOs alike, with anti-GM campaigners arguing that it is simply another attempt to introduce GMOs by the back door, and the European Seed Association insisting that opening up the GM legislation is not necessary and that the ECJ’s legal guidance should be taken into account first before seeking any other legislative changes.
Consumers more accepting of genetic modification for health than food
Feedstuffs, 29 August 2017
http://www.feedstuffs.com/news/consumers-more-accepting-genetic-modification-health-food
More than three-quarters of Americans would accept release of GM mosquitoes to reduce risk of the Zika virus, but fewer than half support use of the technology for food, according to a new Purdue University study. The survey of 964 respondents revealed that 78% would support release of GM mosquitoes in the US. Acceptance of GMOs was 44% for livestock production, 49% for grain production, 48% for fruit and vegetable production, 62% for human medicine and 68% for human health. Males and younger respondents were more likely to accept GM across all categories, while higher income groups were more likely to agree with use of GM for food production than lower income groups. Those with college degrees were also more accepting.
Study co-author Wally Tyner said there may be a lesson in the data for those who want to develop future GM technologies. While GM crops have often been lauded for reducing inputs and lowering costs for growers, people may be more receptive to information about how the crops enable growers to use fewer toxic pesticides. “If we can highlight health and environmental benefits rather than just focusing on the bottom line, that might have a positive effect on the public attitude toward genetic modification”, Tyner said. “If you look back, things might have gone differently if we had the first releases in the medical field rather than the food field.”
GM crop delays mean Africa loses benefits
SciDevNet, 25 August 2017
http://www.scidev.net/global/agriculture/news/gm-crop-delays-mean-africa-misses.html
Delays in approving the use of GM crops are contributing to malnutrition and poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, a new study has found. Justus Wesseler, co-author of the study and professor of agricultural economics at Wageningen University, said adopting GM crops such as banana and maize could help save lives in some Sub-Saharan African countries. “The costs of a delay in approval of Bt maize for Kenya, black sigatoka-resistant banana for Uganda, and corn borer-resistant cowpeas for Benin, Niger and Nigeria not only include the foregone benefits for producers and consumers in economic terms but also the indirect health costs in the form of nutrition foregone, which can be translated into lives saved,” he said.
According to the study, a year’s delay in approving the use of pod borer-resistant cowpea in Nigeria could cost the country US$33-46 million, and between 100 and 3,000 lives. “The results show that it is extremely costly to delay the approval of those crops we investigated and that the delay in particular harms children in rural areas,” said Wesseler. “Approving the crops can be a very cheap strategy to increase income of farm-households and generate economic growth as well as to reduce malnourishment”.
Brazil gives GM sugarcane a go
Farmer’s Weekly (Zambia), 2 August 2017
Brazil, the world’s largest sugarcane producer, recently approved the commercial use of genetically modified sugarcane.
CTC 20 BT is resistant to the country’s main cane pest, the sugarcane borer (Diatraea saccharalis), which can cause losses of up to some $5 billion (R20,8 billion) annually.
The new variety’s resistance to the pest comes from the ‘Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis)’ gene, which has already been used in soya bean, maize, and cotton in the country.
The developers, local technology company Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira (CTC), said in a statement that studies had shown that the sugar and ethanol from the new variety are identical to that derived from conventional sugarcane.
Research also showed that the gene is removed from sugarcane derivatives during manufacturing, and that CTC 20 BT did not negatively affect soil composition, sugarcane biodegradability, or insect populations, with the exception of the target pest, the sugarcane borer.
South Africa’s GM Research
Dr Sandy Snyman, principal scientist with the South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI), said it would have been surprising had Brazil not used GM crops to improve yields and potentially reduce chemical applications for controlling pests and weeds with its sugarcane. She added that SASRI has also been conducting GM research.
“Although no GM sugarcane has been developed for a commercial market to date in South Africa, the industry has considered this approach. The lepidopteran stalk borer, Eldana saccharina, causes major economic losses [in SA] and GM sugarcane, which produces a foreign protein that can control the insect will be advantageous,” Snyman added.
She explained, however, that any such variety would only be commercially available in SA about ten years after development.
“If SASRI successfully develops and deploys such technology commercially in sugarcane, it could be our first proudly South African GM crop,” Snyman said.
US-China trade deal may speed GM seed sales
Reuters, 12 May 2017
Reuters reports that a commitment by the Chinese government to complete the import applications of eight GM crop varieties under the terms of a new trade deal with the United States could mark a step forward in a long-running trade impasse that has held up GM seed sales in the US. China's review covers GM crops developed by Monsanto, Dow Chemical, DuPont and Syngenta which have been stuck in the Chinese approvals process for up to six years. Dow said a green light from China would be key to the roll out of its new Enlist corn and soybeans seeds to US growers, which had been put on hold pending Chinese import approval.
Global GM Crop area reaches new peak of 185.1 million hectares in 2016
ISAAA, 4 May 2017
The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) has today published its annual report on the global status of commercial GM crop plantings for 2016, which increased to a new peak of 185.1 million hectares from 179.7 million hectares in 2015. The GM maize area in Europe increased by 17% in 2016 to 136,000 hectares.
A copy of the ISAAA Executive Summary is available here – key highlights are as follows:
- Global area rebounded in 2016 with 185.1 million hectares of biotech crops versus 179. 7 million hectares 2015, when global area for all crops was down, and 181.5 million hectares in 2014.
- In 2016, 26 countries in total, including 19 developing and 7 industrial countries, grew biotech crops. Developing countries grew 54% of biotech crops, compared to 46% for industrial nations.
- Eight countries in Asia and the Pacific, including China and India, grew 18.6 million hectare of biotech crops in 2016.
- 10 countries in Latin America, including Paraguay and Uruguay, grew a combined 80 million hectares of biotech crops in 2016.
- In 2016, the leading countries growing biotech crops continued to be represented by the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Canada and India. Combined, these five countries planted 91% of the global biotech crop area.
- Four countries in Europe -- Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic Slovakia -- grew more than 136,000 hectares of biotech maize in 2016, an increase of 17% from 2015, reflecting EU’s need for insect resistant maize.
- Biotech crops with stacked traits accounted for 41% of global area, second only to herbicide tolerance at 47%.
- Biotech soybean varieties accounted for 50% of global biotech crop area. Based on global area for individual crops, 78% of soybean, 64% of cotton, 26% of maize and 24% of canola planted in the world were biotech varieties.
- Countries with over 90% adoption of biotech soybean are U.S.A, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, South Africa, and Uruguay; close to or over 90% adoption of biotech maize are USA, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, South Africa, and Uruguay; over 90% of biotech cotton are USA, Argentina, India, China, Pakistan, South Africa, Mexico, Australia, and Myanmar; and with 90% or more of biotech canola are USA and Canada.
For more information or the executive summary of the report, visit www.isaaa.org.
Proposed U.S. biotech rules raise industry hopes and anxieties
Science, 27 January 2017
Science magazine reports that the long-awaited overhaul of US biotech regulations, known as the Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology, took a step forward this month when the USDA and FDA released draft proposals for regulating certain categories of biotech products. For crops, USDA aims to move away from regulating GM plants based on the process that produced them, and instead to evaluate the product itself for risk as a plant pest or noxious weed. The proposal also exempts certain products from the definition of GM, including plants containing inserted DNA from a sexually compatible species, and gene-edited plants with DNA changes that could also be achieved through older chemical or radiation-based breeding methods. Industry groups including the American Seed Trade Association have welcomed the plans.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/01/proposed-us-biotech-rules-raise-industry-hopes-and-anxieties
First non-browning GM apples to hit US stores
23.01.2017
The first trial sales of Arctic brand sliced and packaged Golden Delicious apples – genetically modified to resist browning and be crispier in texture - are expected to go on sale in 10 selected stores in the US Midwest from next month. The Canadian company involved, Okanagan Specialty Fruits, received USDA approval to market the GM apples nearly two years ago.
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/20/health/apples-genetically-modified-on-sale-soon/
Advances in gene-silencing spray technology
11.01.2017
Nature magazine reports on developments in gene silencing technology using RNAi sprays which offer the prospect of changing plant traits in the field – eg to boost yields, trigger ripening, protect them from drought stress or pest and disease attack - without altering their DNA. The article focuses on research by scientists at the University of Queensland to extend the effectiveness of RNAi sprays from a few days to more than 20 days using ‘slow release’ clay nanoparticles, and also highlights the progress made over recent years in making gene silencing spray technology more affordable and closer to the market.
German cabinet approves draft law banning GMO crops
02.11.2016
The German cabinet has approved a draft law banning cultivation of GM crops, Reuters reports. New EU rules approved in 2015 gave individual countries the right to opt out of cultivation even after they have been approved as safe by the European Commission. Under the draft German law, biotech companies seeking EU approval to cultivate GM crops will be asked by the German government to remove Germany from the area in the EU where the crops are approved for growing. If this is refused, a ban on growing the GMO crop in Germany can be imposed even if the EU approves the plant strain as safe to cultivate.
Government survey shows increased public support for biotech in South Africa
The second survey on the Public Perceptions of Biotechnology in South Africa indicates improved public understanding and acceptance, particularly among younger consumers.
The first survey conducted in 2004 revealed that public familiarity with the term 'biotechnology', stood at only 21%, while public awareness of GM consumption was at 13%. The latest survey commissioned by the Department of Science and Technology last year showed that the figures have tripled, to 53% and 48% respectively. Lead researcher Dr Michael Gastrow said there had also been a major increase in favourable attitudes towards purchasing GM foods. The proportion of the public that would purchase GM foods on basis of health considerations increased from 59% to 77%, while cost considerations increased from 51% to 73%, and environmental considerations from 50% to 68%.
Waitrose turns to non-GM European soya
01.11.16
High-end retailer Waitrose is introducing non-GM European soya into its pig rations as part of its plans to switch to more sustainable sourcing, citing concerns about the effects of deforestation associated with soya production in South America. Latest statistics show that, in 2016, European soya production reached 8.6m tonnes from 3.9m ha, most of it from Ukraine. But despite the retailer’s insistence that the move is about improving sustainability rather than replacing GM soya, the Soil Association described the move as “the biggest blow against GM crops this century”, marking “the beginning of the end of the last large-scale use of GM crops in the UK.”
http://www.fwi.co.uk/news/waitrose-turns-to-gm-free-european-soya-for-pig-feed.htm
MEPs oppose EU Commission plans to authorise five GMOs
07.10.16
The European Parliament opposed the European Commission plans to authorise five GMO products, maize Bt11, 1507 and MON810 (seeds and products), and a glyphosate-resistant cotton, in a vote on Thursday. MEPs reiterated their call for a reform of the EU’s GMO authorisation procedure. The five non-binding resolutions were tabled by objectors Bart Staes (Greens/EFA, BE), Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP, FI), Guilliaume Balas (S&D, FR), Lynn Boylan (GUE/NGL, IE) and Eleonora Evi (EFDD, IT).
Cargill feeds appetite for GMO-free ingredients
06.10.16
Cargill, one of the world’s biggest wholesale food suppliers, has bowed to consumer trends by offering its first products with a seal of approval from the leading US verifier of products free of bioengineering.The US company handles millions of tonnes a year of crops such as corn and soyabeans that are typically grown with genetically modified (GMO) traits. But it is also contending with shifting tastes, including rising suspicion towards the GMO products that have been common on store shelves for years.
https://www.ft.com/content/4a45d1d4-8bdd-11e6-8aa5-f79f5696c731
Costs of not adopting GM technology
26.09.16
Ms Maskell’s views appear to conflict with recent research into the environmental impact of not adopting GM crops. Writing in Science 2.0, Canadian economics professor Stuart Smyth reports on a recent study to evaluate the costs to farmers and the environment in Australia of the moratorium on growing GM canola from 2003-2008. Although Australia approved GM canola in 2003, it wasn’t until 2008 when the central canola producing states, New South Wales and Victoria, lifted the moratorium, followed by Western Australia in 2010. He estimates that this adoption delay meant Australian farmers lost the opportunity to increase their farm revenues by $485 million, while the environmental impact of the additional chemicals applied was 14% higher. In particular, Smyth suggests that delaying GM canola adoption resulted in the continuation of other farming practices with higher environmental impact due to the more frequent use of tillage to control weeds and the application of chemicals with higher toxicity levels.
http://www.science20.com/stuart_smyth/blog/the_cost_of_australias_gm_canola_moratorium-180467
Shadow Defra Secretary opposed to GM crops
23.09.16
As the Labour Party conference gets under way in Liverpool, shadow Defra Secretary Rachael Maskell has indicated her ‘personal’ view that GM crops are the wrong direction for British farming. In an exclusive interview with Farmers Weekly, the NHS care worker turned front bench politician said: “If we continue to farm intensively on the same land, the soil quality is impacted and there are consequences. You end up paying more to put nutrients back into the soil.
http://www.fwi.co.uk/news/interview-with-shadow-defra-secretary-rachael-maskell.htm
Historic GM labelling bill signed
29 July 16
President Barack Obama has signed into law legislation that prevents states from requiring on-package labeling of genetically modified ingredients, capping a historic win for farm groups, food companies, and the biotech industry.
http://www.agriculture.com/news/crops/obama-signs-historic-gmo-labeling-bill
US farmers have ‘universally’ adopted biotech crops – USDA report
26 July 16
A new report from the USDA Economic Research Service concludes that US farmers “have nearly universally adopted genetically engineered seeds” despite their higher costs. GM crops account for 94% of the US soybean area, 93% of cotton and 92% of corn. The biotech corn acreage was made up of 3% insect-resistant only, 13% herbicide-tolerant only and 76% “stacked” traits. The biotech cotton acreage comprised 4% insect-resistant, 9% herbicide-tolerant and 80% “stacked” traits. The GM soybean acreage was herbicide-tolerant only. USDA also notes that a number of other GM crops are planted in the US, including sugar beet (estimated at more than 95% of total acreage), canola, alfalfa, papaya, squash and potatoes, although the USDA reports annual acreage data only for corn, soybeans and cotton. Overall the US accounts for nearly 40% of GM crops planted globally.
Effective segregation of GM and non-GM boosts Australian oilseeds sector
26 July 2016
Supply chain practices to segregate GM canola from conventional varieties are working effectively and have given the Australian oilseeds sector a $375 million boost, according to the Australian Oilseeds Federation, which estimated that growers had received a $25/tonne premium for non-GM canola over GM varieties since 2010. “I don’t believe we would have got the premium for non-GM (canola) without segregation,” said AOF president Jon Slee. Since 2010, some 22 million tonnes of canola have been exported from Australia, of which approximately 15 million were conventional canola shipped to customers who prefer non-GM crops, such as the European Union. The industry-led system includes measures to deal with segregation of GM and non-GM crops during production, harvesting, transport and storage.
University of Florida Study Finds Consumer Knowledge Gap on GM Food
25 May 2016
A newly published study from the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) reports that while consumers are aware of genetically modified (GM) crops and food, their knowledge level is limited and often at odds with the facts.
From those sampled, 84 percent supported a mandatory label for food containing GM ingredients, but 80 percent also supported a mandatory label for food containing DNA, which would result in labeling almost all food. "Our research indicates that the term ‘GM' may imply to consumers that genetic modification alters the genetic structure of an organism, while other breeding techniques do not," McFadden said.
University of Florida Study Finds Consumer Knowledge Gap on GM Food
25 May 2016
A newly published study from the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) reports that while consumers are aware of genetically modified (GM) crops and food, their knowledge level is limited and often at odds with the facts.
From those sampled, 84 percent supported a mandatory label for food containing GM ingredients, but 80 percent also supported a mandatory label for food containing DNA, which would result in labeling almost all food. "Our research indicates that the term ‘GM' may imply to consumers that genetic modification alters the genetic structure of an organism, while other breeding techniques do not," McFadden said.
EU stance on glyphosate, GMOs adds to Brexit momentum for UK farmers
31 May 2016
A report from EU policy-watchers Politico suggests that British farmers are fed up with meddling from Europe over the best way to grow food — and some of them to want to leave the EU. According to Derbyshire farmer Michael Seals, the current battle over the licence renewal for the herbicide glyphosate is just the most recent example of the EU ignoring science and putting at risk farmers’ access to new technology, including GM crops. “GM technology, the fact that it’s outlawed in the EU, is a complete anachronism — we need that to go forward,” Seals said. Crop production is about as efficient as it will get without the help of biotechnology, but “there is no limit on what we could achieve if we were given the freedom” to use GM crops, he added.
Carrot genome paints picture of domestication, could help improve crops
May 2016
A team of scientists recently deciphered the genetic code of carrots, revealing how it was domesticated by breeding practices. The findings also reveal how carrots acquired its distinctive orange color, indicating its superb abilities to accumulate carotenoids.
http://news.wisc.edu/carrot-genome-paints-picture-of-domestication-could-help-improve-crops/
TSL receives DEFRA approval for potato field trials
May 2016
DEFRA have approved The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich’s application to conduct field trials of GM potato crops on a designated trial site at the Norwich Research Park between 2016 and 2019.
The field trials are part of the TSL’s Potato Partnership Project to develop a Maris Piper potato that is blight and nematode resistant, bruises less and produces less acrylamide when cooked at high temperatures. The project is majority funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) with additional funding from industry partners BioPotatoes (UK) and Simplot (US).
http://www.tsl.ac.uk/news/tsl-receives-defra-approval-potato-field-trials/
USDA clears gene-edited mildew-resistant wheat
March 2016
In a landmark ruling for the regulation of new breeding techniques, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that a wheat variety rendered mildew-resistant through the targeted “knockout” of a gene can be commercialised without clearing regulatory hurdles for biotech crops. The use of gene-editing techniques to remove a gene that suppresses the wheat plant’s defences against powdery mildew, first discovered by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, is being developed by US-based biotech company Calyxt. CEO Luc Mathis said the firm had met with agricultural regulators in foreign markets and did not expect its wheat variety to experience export problems because the technology accelerated a process that could have occurred naturally. “From a technical viewpoint, there is no difference. There is no foreign DNA,” he said. The US wheat industry is also supportive, and plans to educate its foreign customers about the new cultivar during the years that Calyxt prepares the trait for market, said Steve Joehl, research and technology director for the National Association of Wheat Growers.
http://www.capitalpress.com/Research/20160315/usda-clears-mildew-resistant-biotech-wheat?
GM potatoes offer 80% reduction in chemical control
21.03.2016
A 10 year study conducted at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands has concluded that GM blight resistant potatoes modified with genes from wild potatoes require 80% less chemical treatment. Publishing their scientific results in Potato Research, the researchers concluded that the GM potatoes could substantially reduce the global use of crop protection products and make a major contribution to producing more food. The project also played a key role in the discussion about genetic modification in society, organising field trial visits and discussions for industry, interest groups and the general public.
Is gene-editing facing another GM-style furore in Europe?
07.02.2016
Writing in The Observer, science editor Robin McKie investigates the potential benefits of gene-edited crops, and the challenges facing their development as the European Commission prepares to issue a report which will determine when these new breeding techniques should be regulated as GMOs. McKie notes that gene-editing is already being used at the John Innes Centre to develop nitrogen-fixing cereal crops and strains of beetroot that could produce L-Dopa, a drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease. The scientists behind this research warn that a decision to regulate gene-edited crops as GM would cut off many approaches for creating new foods and crops. But opponents such as the Soil Association, Greenpeace and GM Freeze argue that the safety of these breeding techniques remains unproven and should not be allowed to slip through the regulatory safety net.
EU Ombudsman reprimands Commission over GM approval delays
19.01.2016
The European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly has determined that between 2012 and 2014 the European Commission repeatedly failed to meet legally binding deadlines for processing GM import applications and did not make its decisions within a reasonable time. The case was brought by FEFAC, COCERAL and EuropaBio, representing the EU feed, grain and biotech sectors, who expressed concern that the ‘de facto’ moratorium on GM crop import approvals was jeopardising trade in agricultural commodities for food and feed. O’Reilly ruled that these delays constituted maladministration on the part of the Commission, and that the political difficulties surrounding the GM issue did not absolve the Commission of its statutory responsibility to submit a draft decision to the Standing Committee within three months. FEFAC, COCERAL and EuropaBio welcomed the ruling, noting that the Commission was now observing statutory limits on GM authorisation applications.
GM ban means Scottish farmers will be left behind – NFUS
18.12.15
NFUS has warned that Scotland’s farmers and scientific community risk being consigned to a ’technological backwater’ by the Scottish Government’s approach to GM crops. NFUS vice-president Rob Livesey was scathing of the Scottish Government’s stance on the subject, which he said had been decided without consulting the food, farming and scientific sectors, and without rational debate.
He also cautioned that it was ‘dangerous’ territory for Governments to take a position on future market values and consumer preferences. “I fully accept the fundamental principle we must supply what our customers and consumers want and it would be pointless to produce a product which had no market or, at best, sold at a discounted price. However, the Scottish Government’s assumption that keeping Scotland free from GM means the value of our products will be greater in monetary terms is dangerous,” he said.
https://www.fginsight.com/news/scotland-risks-being-left-behind-by-gm-no-stance-8701
Nature editorial calls for gene-edited crops to be regulated as non-GM
15.12.15
A news story and editorial in the latest Nature magazine focus on the frustration among EU plant scientists at the delay by the European Commission in determining whether the new generation of powerful gene-editing techniques should be regulated as GMOs under existing legislation. The legal limbo is having a big impact on research, with field trials cancelled or put on hold pending the Commission’s decision, and research grants refused due to the legal uncertainty surrounding the techniques involved. While a number of EU Member States have conducted their own analyses and determined that gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR-Cas9 should not be treated as GM, NGOs hostile to genetic manipulation argue the opposite.
Academic scientists and seed companies fear that plants made with the latest gene-editing techniques may share the fate of GM crops in Europe. Strict regulations, cumbersome bureaucracy and activism against GM organisms have meant that scientists in some countries, such as Germany, do not even attempt field trials. That is frustrating for plant scientists who want their work to be useful to the world, says Jonathan Jones, a plant researcher at the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, UK. “We hoped that the new plant-breeding techniques would offer ways of achieving the same outcome without the onerous regulations — and fear that might not turn out to be the case,” he says.
With the Commission pledging to publish its legal guidance by the end of March next year, the Nature editorial calls for the uncertainty to be lifted to allow research to proceed, arguing that these new breeding techniques have the potential to revolutionise biology, and noting that the Commission’s decision could affect research and innovation for years to come. While EU Member States are deeply divided on the issue of genetic modification, it urges the Commission: “...to make clear — soon and with no room for misinterpretation — that work with these new techniques is important and does not necessarily need to be regulated in the same way as the previous generation of GM crops.”
http://www.nature.com/news/crop-conundrum-1.19031
http://www.nature.com/news/europe-s-genetically-edited-plants-stuck-in-legal-limbo-1.19028
GMO decision from the Swedish Board of Agriculture provides hope to plant scientists
17.11.15
As the plant science community awaits the European Commission’s legal interpretation of the status of new genome-editing techniques under existing GMO regulations, the Swedish Board of Agriculture has confirmed to researchers at two Swedish universities that some plants produced using one of the techniques, known as CRISPR-Cas9, do not fall within the European GMO definition. Outside the EU, countries such as Argentina have announced that similarly edited plants fall outside their GMO legislation, but no formal decision has yet been taken at EU level.
Jens Sundström of the University of Uppsala said: "We hope that this clear and logical interpretation will also be applied to other similar cases. The EU Commission announced some time ago that it would present its interpretation of the legislation, but has not yet been able to come to an agreement. All 'GMO issues' divide the EU and this has led to paralysis for more than a decade. We think that the opinion by the Swedish Board of Agriculture will get a lot of international attention.”
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/uu-gdf111715.php
Sugar beet advances set to test EU’s GM scepticism
17.11.15
The next generation of GM sugar beet technology, including so-called "winter beet" offering a step change yield increase of 20-30%, will be difficult for Europe’s beet industry to ignore, according to Professor Bernard Marlander of the German-based Institute of Sugar Beet Research. Winter beet, being developed by plant breeders including KWS and Syngenta, is designed for plantings in late summer, for harvesting the following summer, with its long growing season enhancing yields. It is not possible to develop this characteristic through conventional seed technology. Speaking at the International Sugar Organisation seminar in London, Professor Marlander said advances in sugar beet yields would become particularly important for EU producers after 2017 reforms abolish output quotas and increase competition – meaning efficiency gains will be key to the sector's financial welfare.
http://www.agrimoney.com/news/sugar-beet-to-raise-stakes-on-eus-gm-scepticism--9012.html
NZ moves to regulate novel breeding techniques as GMOs
02.11.2015
Following a drafting error in proposed changes to New Zealand’s GM regulations, the NZ government has issued a consultation clarifying that all traditional chemical and radiation mutagenesis breeding techniques are not GM, but proposing that all novel breeding techniques such as genome editing should be regulated as GMOs.
Announcing the plans, NZ Environment Minister Nick Smith said: “The definition of what is and is not genetically modified is fraught with difficulty. There is a spectrum of artificial techniques that change the genetic composition of plants and animals – from selective breeding, to methods using radiation and chemicals that increase mutations, to quite sophisticated chemicals that make specific targeted changes. There is no international consensus on where the definition should exist between what is and is not a GMO.”
“Biotechnology has moved on from when the original regulations were put in place in 1998. Some have argued that there should be a broader review of these definitions and that new techniques that do not introduce new genetic material and pose minimal risk should also be excluded. We have decided to take a cautious approach to the proposals in the discussion paper. We are seeking to make the existing system workable and to take a wait-and-see approach on international developments before making any more significant alterations to the legislative framework.
“New Zealand is an exporter of billions of dollars of food products and we receive a premium for our natural brand and high quality standards. These are minimalist changes because we do not want New Zealand getting ahead of market perceptions of these new biotechnologies.”
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1511/S00012/governments-move-keeps-new-gmos-under-regulation.htm
Northern Ireland bans GM crop cultivation
21.09.2015
Stormont’s Environment Minister has today announced plans to ban the cultivation of EU-approved GM crops in Northern Ireland under new EU opt-out rules agreed earlier this year. Mark H Durkan said he was "unconvinced of the advantages" of GM crops, and that his decision would hold for the "foreseeable future".
Mirroring the ban announced by the Scottish Government last month, Durkan expressed concern that growing ‘controversial’ GM crops could potentially damage the country’s clean and green image. He also that the relatively small size of farms in Northern Ireland could lead to difficulties keeping GM and non-GM crops separate.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union said it recognised why the Minister had taken this decision, but warned that it could lead to problems if the Republic of Ireland took a different approach towards GM crop cultivation. UFU also said it was important not to portray science in a negative way, recognising that in time the science behind GM crops could deliver future benefits for farmers, food processors and consumers.
The decision has been welcomed by the Green Party and SNP.
France seeks GM crop opt-out
17.09.2015
Reuters reports today that France has become the latest EU member state to seek a national ban on the cultivation of GM crops under the terms of new EU opt-out rules. In a joint statement, the farm and environment ministries said the French Government had asked the European Commission for France to be excluded from cultivation of EU-approved GM maize. The French environment ministry said separately it had passed legislation in the National Assembly to oppose cultivation of GM crops on the basis of certain criteria including environment and farm policy, land use, economic impact or civil order.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/17/france-gmo-idUSL5N11N16620150917
GM database launched to support EU feed safety
15.09.2015
The EU-funded MARLON project has launched a free online GM crop database bringing together scientific knowledge and national survey data on the safety of GM animal feed, providing a searchable resource to monitor possible impacts of GM crops on livestock health. The researchers behind the IPAFEED database have confirmed that data collected from controlled short-term, long-term and multi-generational feeding trials have generally pointed to no adverse health effects on animals fed GM ingredients. Indeed, some effects may even be positive: several reports indicate, for example, that insect-resistant GM crops may contain lower levels of toxic chemicals produced by fungi that can colonise insect-damaged crops.
New Kiwi 'super grass' will cut emissions, boost production
A new GM grass with the potential to slash greenhouse gas emissions and increase production has been developed by researchers in New Zealand. Scientists at state-owned AgResearch have engineered a grass plant with almost triple the amount of lipids (fats) compared to standard ryegrasses and whose growth habit mimics the more efficient C4-type photosynthesis that characterises fast-growing plants such as maize. Indoor trials have shown a 25% higher growth rate, which translates into a 12% increase in milk solid production. By improving digestibility in cattle, the GM grass also results in a 30% reduction in methane emissions and a 20% decrease in nitrous oxide emissions. Field trials in the US are planned next, although it is likely to be 2021 before any varieties will be commercially available to farmers.
Australian farmers use social media to promote GM choice
11.09.2015
Farmers in Western Australia are using social media to launch a pro-GM campaign to tell the public why the technology is needed on their farms. The online #farmerschoice campaign is calling on farmers to take to Twitter and Facebook to post a picture or video that explains why they grow GM canola on their farm, encouraging people to remain open to the possibilities of GM crops.
Campaign founder and GM canola grower Aimee Carson said: "From a farmer's perspective we are excited by the prospects of future possibilities. Because of this we want to share what we have learnt with as many people as we can and social media is a great way to reach people. We aren't here to discredit other ways of farming, we are just hoping to shine a light on the other side of such an emotive debate. We believe in choice and want the consumer choice to remain but we need people to be aware of just what is involved to feed the world's population."
American perceptions shifting in favour of GMOs, says US academic
09.09.2015
Jon Entine, a US journalist and senior research fellow at the University of California, Davis, has told Australia’s National Press Club that public opinion in the United States is shifting in favour of GM foods. "Two years ago, the overwhelming majority of newspapers and the population was very, very pro-mandatory labelling, and very concerned [with whether or not] GMOs were safe," he said. "Every major liberal [left-leaning] newspaper, what we call the progressives, have been the ones that have been most sceptical [about biotechnology], I think because of the fear that it's a big business enterprise. There's been a real shift. The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, the LA Times, the Chicago Tribune, well known science publications [like the] Scientific American, the American Medical Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy for Sciences - these are all very, very well known progressive organisations. Every one of them have come out for the safety of GMO foods and for opposing mandatory labelling [of GMO foods] on the grounds that labelling as it's been proposed in the US would be very deceptive for a whole wide range of reasons. That's a sea change. That wouldn't have happened a few years ago."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-09/jon-entine-address-national-press-club/6761884
Promising British GM poultry research targets bird flu resistance
07.09.2015
Reuters reports that scientists at Cambridge University and the Roslin Institute are using GM techniques to develop chickens more resistant to the spread of bird flu. The research, backed by the UK government and leading poultry companies, uses genetic engineering to control bird flu in two ways: by blocking initial infections in egg-laying chickens and preventing birds from transmitting the virus if they become infected. The researchers have injected a "decoy" gene into the chicken chromosome which is designed to trick the bird flu virus into copying the decoy and so inhibit the virus' ability to reproduce itself. Early experiments suggest that the GM birds are less susceptible and succumb to infection more slowly than the conventional birds when exposed to the bird flu virus.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/07/us-health-birdflu-gmo-idUSKCN0R71B020150907
Chinese farmers growing GM soybeans despite official ban
07.09.2015
Media reports in China suggest that many farmers in Heilongjiang Province are illegally growing GM soybeans. While the north eastern province is a key soybean-producing area, no GM food crops have yet been approved for domestic production. Despite the ban, one official from the Heilongjiang provincial agricultural department estimated that around 10 percent of the region's soybean farmers are growing GM crops. Local authorities have warned that any farmers found to be guilty of growing illegal crops could face fines of up to 200,000 yuan ($31,480).
EP agriculture committee rejects national bans on imports of GM food and feed
04.09.2015
The European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee yesterday voted to reject the Commission's proposal to give member states the power to ban the use of EU-approved GM food or feed. MEPs on the committee feared that arbitrary national bans could distort the single market and jeopardise EU food production which is heavily dependent on imports of GM feed. The Agriculture Committee's opinion, adopted by 28 votes in favour to eight against, with six abstentions, will now be considered by the Environment Committee, which has the lead on this file, before a plenary vote of the whole Parliament.
Agriculture Committee rapporteur Albert Dess MEP said: “The Commission's approach is completely unrealistic. We have many sectors in the EU that rely to a great extent on imports of GM feed and would not be able to survive if it is banned. If we allowed this, then all animal food production in the EU would be at stake, which could make us much more dependent on food imports from third countries that do not necessarily respect our high production standards. And we certainly want to avoid this.”
The Environment Committee will adopt its position at its meeting on 12 and 13 October. Parliament could then scrutinise the proposal at the 26-29 October plenary session in Strasbourg.
http://www.fwi.co.uk/arable/eu-agriculture-committee-votes-against-gm-crops-flexibility.htm
Germany moves to ban GM crops
24.08.2015
According to news agency Reuters, the German Government has initiated steps to prohibit the cultivation of EU-approved GM crops under new EU rules. In a letter seen by Reuters, German Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt has notified state authorities of Germany’s intention to make use of new "opt-out" rules to prevent GM crop cultivation in Germany even if varieties have been approved by the EU. Member states have until 3 October 2015 to inform the Commission that they wish to opt out of new EU GMO cultivation approvals, the ministry letter said. Schmidt has asked the German state authorities to say by 11 September whether their region should be included in the opt-out.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/24/us-grain-germany-gmo-idUSKCN0QT1ID20150824
Glover slams Scotland’s GM crop ban
11.08.2015
Former EU chief scientist Professor Anne Glover has strongly criticised the Scottish Government’s decision to ban the cultivation of all EU-approved GM crops. Professor Glover, who was also chief scientific adviser to the Scottish Government from 2006 to 2011, questioned the scientific evidence for the policy and warned that it could harm Scottish agriculture. While SNP leaders claimed banning GM crops would protect Scotland’s ‘clean, green status’, Prof Glover said it was not possible to equate 'clean and green' with anti-GM, and that judicious use of GM advances such as blight resistant GM potatoes could reduce farmers’ dependence on chemical inputs thus reducing the negative impact of agriculture on the environment.
Prof Glover’s concerns were echoed by NFU Scotland President Allan Bowie, who expressed disappointment that the Scottish Government had not consulted farmers or the scientific community before making the announcement. He warned of labelling and cross-border issues with the rest of the UK, and expressed concern that Scottish agriculture – including its £100m seed potato sector – could be disadvantaged. “Our Scottish potato seed industry might not even have a market,” he said. “What if the blight-resistant potato is the answer and we can’t actually take advantage of it as producers?”
http://www.fwi.co.uk/news/gm-ban-will-leave-growers-at-disadvantage.htm
Oxitec sold for $160m
11.08.2015
Pioneering Oxford University spin-out Oxitec has been sold toUS-based biotechnology company Intrexon Corporation for $160m. Oxitec uses GM technology to help control insect pests that spread disease and damage cropsthrough the production of ‘sterile’, self-limiting insects whose offspring do not survive. Unlike conventional approaches to insect control using insecticides that can affect the broader ecosystem, Oxitec programmes are directed at a single species. Intrexon intends to integrate Oxitec within its existing synthetic biology platform to combat diseases such as dengue fever as well as tackling agricultural pests that impact food supply worldwide.
Scotland to ban GM crop cultivation
09.08.2015
The Scottish government has announced plans to prohibit the cultivation of GM crops, using new EU rules which came into force earlier this year allowing member states and devolved regions to restrict or ban the cultivation of EU-approved GM crops within their territory.
Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said the move would protect and further enhance Scotland’s "clean, green status". He added: "There is no evidence of significant demand for GM products by Scottish consumers and I am concerned that allowing GM crops to be grown in Scotland would damage our clean and green brand, thereby gambling with the future of our £14bn food and drink sector.”
The announcement was welcomed by green groups but has angered farmers and scientists. NFU Scotland described the decision as naive and taken without an adequate debate. NFUS chief executive Scott Walker said: “Other countries are embracing biotechnology where appropriate and we should be open to doing the same here in Scotland. Decisions should be taken on the individual merits of each variety, based on science and determined by whether the variety will deliver overall benefit. These crops could have a role in shaping sustainable agriculture at some point and at the same time protecting the environment which we all cherish in Scotland.”
NFUS vice-president Andrew McCornick added: “There is going to be one side of the Border in England where they may adopt biotechnology, but just across the River Tweed farmers are not going to be allowed to. How are these farmers going to be capable of competing in the same market? It is certainly won’t be delivering a level playing field with other countries.”
Professor Huw Jones of Rothamsted Research said: “GM crops approved by the EU are safe for humans, animals and the environment and it's a shame the Scottish Parliament think cultivation would harm their food and drink sector. If approved, this decision serves to remove the freedom of Scottish farmers and narrows their choice of crop varieties to cultivate in the future.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-33833958
http://www.farmbusiness.cc/news.asp?section=248&newsid=18699
GM moths could be released in Britain to protect crops
16.07.15
Following successful tests in the greenhouse, genetically engineered moths could be released in Britain to prevent devastating damage to broccoli and kale crops, according to a report in The Telegraph. Researchers from Oxford University spinoff Oxitec have modified the insects’ genes so they only produce male offspring. Greenhouse trials showed that releasing GM diamondback or cabbage moths causes populations to crash quickly, limiting damage from caterpillars. New results suggest that levels were controlled within just eight weeks. Now the scientists are set to carry out new outdoor trials in New York State after gaining approval from the US Department of Agriculture.
Commenting on the research, Professor Joe Perry, chair of the European Food Safety Authority’s GMO Panel, said that self-limiting gene techniques had been shown to carry few risks but there would need to be a risk assessment before they could be used in Britain. Prof Huw Jones of Rothamsted said: “Assuming environmental risk assessments were positive, I could see this becoming part of a future sustainable, integrated management strategy for agricultural regions where crops are regularly decimated by pest insects.”
US House Agriculture Committee rejects mandatory GM labelling
15.07.2015
Reuters reports that food companies and other opponents of GMO labelling in the United States notched a key victory earlier this week as the House Agriculture Committee approved a draft bill prohibiting mandatory GMO labelling as well as local efforts to regulate GM crops. The Grocery Manufacturers Association said the move would ensure American consumers had accurate, consistent information about their food rather than a 50 state patchwork of labelling laws that would only prove costly and confusing for consumers, farmers and the food industry. The bill must now be passed by the full House of Representatives before moving to the Senate. Groups pushing for mandatory GMO labelling have vowed to step up efforts to ensure the proposed measure, dubbed the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, does not become law.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/14/us-usa-gmo-labeling-idUSKCN0PO2MM20150714
GM crop-derived fish oil also free from heavy metals
Reporting on the successful field trial of omega-3 enriched GM camelina at Rothamsted Research, The Economist suggests that the development is likely to pose a dilemma for many environmentalists, since those opposed to GM crops are also likely to be most concerned about over-fishing, for which the GM crop offers a potential solution. In fact they may be facing a ‘trilemma’, the article suggests, since the GM-derived oils will also be free from harmful heavy metals such as mercury which can build up in wild fish stocks through marine pollution.
Canada set to permit up to 0.2% presence of unapproved GMOs in imports
In a move designed to avoid trade disruption, the Canadian government is reportedly close to finalising a new policy on shipments containing trace presence of unapproved GMOs – allowing up to 0.2% presence of GMOs not authorised or risk assessed by Health Canada, provided the GM crop in question has been authorised for sale or commercial use in at least one other country. In a statement, the Canadian Department of Agriculture said: “The government has been taking action to seek global solutions to prevent unnecessary trade disruptions, ensure open and predictable trade that is based on science, and make the agriculture sector more competitive. With the increased commercialization of GM crops around the world, low-level presence incidents are expected to become more frequent. That is why Canada has exercised leadership advocating for ways to manage low-level presence in a pragmatic and transparent way.” The new policy has been condemned by anti-GM groups as putting trade interests ahead of safety concerns.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1421515-canada-to-allow-unapproved-gm-crop-contamination-in-imports/
CSIRO developing GM wheat with cholesterol lowering qualities
A team of Australian scientists at CSIRO are using GM techniques to develop a wheat variety that could be used to make bread with cholesterol-lowering properties by introducing higher levels of the soluble fibre betaglucan found in oats and barley. After identifying small differences in the enzyme that makes betaglucan in wheat and oats, the researchers are now growing trial crops of GM wheat modified to include the corresponding gene from oats. They will then test the bread-making and cholesterol-lowering qualities of the harvested grain. Lead researcher Dr Steve Jobling said breeding the wheat variety conventionally would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, whereas GM offered a precise and reliable way to introduce the gene and trait of interest.
EU funding of anti-GM lobby groups ‘outrageous’, says Owen Paterson
Writing on the PoliticsHome web-site, former Environment Secretary Owen Paterson argues strongly in favour of the safety and benefits of GM crops, insisting that in a free market, farmers and consumers should have a choice about which crops to grow and which foods to eat. UK farmers, however, are denied this choice because of anti-GM scaremongering in Europe, he suggests. “It is absurd that our farmers cannot grow better, more sustainable crops because of superstitious NGOs based in Brussels. It is even more outrageous that many of these NGOs – including Friends of the Earth, and organic industry lobby groups – in turn receive millions of Euros in taxpayer-funded EU grants to do this lobbying work,” he concludes.
Rothamsted GM wheat trial results published
25.06.2015
The results of UK field trials of aphid-resistant GM wheat developed by scientists at Rothamsted Research, published today, found that the GM strain was no more effective at repelling aphids under field conditions than unmodified wheat, despite previous successful tests in the laboratory. The researchers said negative results were part-and-parcel of the scientific process, and there was now more work to do to understand the insect-plant interaction and to better mimic what happens in nature. "If we knew the answers to every question before we started, there would be no need for science and there would be no innovation,” commented lead author Dr Toby Bruce.
Speaking to The Guardian, Jonathan Gershenzon of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Biology in Germany suggested that aphids are only programmed to respond to short bursts of alarm pheromone, and could get used to its continuous release from modified wheat plants under field conditions.
Anti-GM campaigners have described the research as a waste of taxpayers’ money, and proof that GM fixes cannot be used to outwit nature.
But Professor Jonathan Jones, a molecular biologist at The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, welcomed the fact that new scientific information and understanding had been generated despite the best efforts of protestors to block the research: "These data provide a timely reminder that what works in the lab might not always work in the field, especially when the GM trait is intended to influence something as complex as insect behaviour. Despite the strenuous efforts of anti-GM protestors, a field experiment was conducted, a clear result was obtained, and the scientists involved can now use this information to refine and improve their technical approaches to control aphids in crops without using insecticides."
http://www.nature.com/srep/2015/150625/srep11183/full/srep11183.html
German scientists push for blanket GM labelling
18.05.2015
A group of German scientists have launched a campaign to require labelling of all products containing or produced using GMOs. Their unusual plea is a political gamble; rather than making it more difficult for GM products to reach consumers, they hope such an approach will show Germans just how widespread GM products already are—whether in food, clothes, medicines, or washing powder—and that there is nothing to be afraid of. The petition calls on the German government to introduce new legislation requiring GM labelling for all food, feed, drugs, textiles, chemicals, and other products produced using GM technology. The petition also urges the German government to press for a similar law at EU level.
http://news.sciencemag.org/europe/2015/05/unusual-move-german-scientists-lobby-gm-labeling
Hungary To Introduce New GMO Regulations
13.05.2015
European Supermarket Magazine reports that Hungary is set be the first European country to enact new EU regulations allowing member states to ban the cultivation of EU-approved GM crops. As well as transposing the new rules into Hungarian law, a Ministry of Agriculture spokesman said the Hungarian government is developing a new GM-free labelling system which will allow foods such as meat, fish, eggs, milk and honey to be labelled if certified as not containing GMOs or from livestock reared on a GM-free diet.
http://www.esmmagazine.com/hungary-to-introduce-new-gmo-regulations/16034
GM crops deliver substantial economic and environmental benefits, study concludes
07.05.2015
GM crops continue deliver significant economic benefits while improving the environmental sustainability of farming operations, according to an updated global impacts study. The economic advantage for farmers using GM seeds amounted to an average of more than $122/hectare in 2013, according to the report "GM Crops: Global Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts 1996-2013" released by UK consultancy PG Economics (copy attached).
Key socio-economic and environmental benefits of global GM crop adoption highlighted in the report include higher-yielding crops, improved prospects for food security and reduced pressure on scarce land resources, better returns for farmers – especially in developing countries, and environmental improvements such as reduced pesticide use and greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.pgeconomics.co.uk/page/38/
EU GMO policy undermining single market
22.04.2015
Writing in the EU Parliament Magazine, head of the European Seed Association Garlich von Essen calls on the EU Commission to re-think its plans to grant a national opt-out on GM food and feed import approvals, warning of the damaging impact on the EU livestock sector as well as the 500 million EU citizens who enjoy the resulting dairy and meat products. The Commission’s plans risk undermining the single market as well as international trade agreements, and Europe’s agri-food chain and main agricultural trading partners are united in their opposition, he notes.
Sacrificing the basic principles of the single market for short-term political gain underestimates the potential longer-term consequences, he suggests. Some European ports may remain open to GM imports, some may be closed; traders will gain or lose business, depending on the member state in which they are based; farmers will have access to different inputs at different prices, impacting their production and profits. And all that would be subject to change following a national election. The resulting political and regulatory patchwork would no longer be a single market, he warns.
Researchers find sweet potato is ‘natural’ GMO
20.04.2015
Concerns about bringing genes from distantly related organisms into plants are often cited in relation to GM foods. But now an international team of biologists has found that this has occurred naturally in a major crop plant. Cultivated strains of sweet potato had a set of genes inserted into their genomes by bacteria—the same Agrobacterium bacteria used to create many GM plants. While studying the genetic make-up of sweet potato cells, the researchers found a cluster of foreign bacterial genes in every cultivated strain of sweet potato. The research, published in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, concludes that every sweet potato plant is naturally transgenic and contains foreign genes transferred through a process similar to that used to create GMO foods.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/04/genetically-modified-crops-nature-got-there-first/
Use smartphones to tell shoppers what's in food, says US Agriculture Secretary
01.03.2015
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has entered the US debate over labelling of GM foods, suggesting that shoppers could use their smartphones to scan special bar codes or other symbols on food packages. This could provide access to a range of information, including whether the food's ingredients include GMOs. Speaking at a Congress hearing on agriculture spending, Vilsack suggested this approach could head off the increasingly heated debate between the food industry and those who have pushed for specific package labels that identify GMOs.
UK farmers need access to GM crops, says Defra Secretary
28.02.2015
UK farmers should be allowed to use genetically-modified crop technology to help them increase food production, according to Defra minister Liz Truss.
Canadian company's genetically modified apples win US approval
14.02.15
Twin varieties have been designed to resist browning but organic advocates say selling the fruit amounts to a ‘big experiment on humans’
US regulators have approved what would be the first commercialised biotech apples, rejecting efforts by the organic industry and other GMO critics to block the new fruit.
The US Department of Agriculture’s animal and plant health authority, Aphis, approved two genetically engineered apple varieties designed to resist browning that have been developed by the Canadian company Okanagan Specialty Fruits.
Okanagan plans to market the apples as Arctic Granny and Arctic Golden, and says the apples are identical to their conventional counterparts except the flesh of the fruit will retain a fresh appearance after it is sliced or bruised.
The company’s president, Neal Carter, called the USDA approval “a monumental occasion”.
“It is the biggest milestone yet for us and we can’t wait until they’re available for consumers,” he said.
Arctic apples would first be available in late 2016 in small quantities but not widely distributed for some years, Carter said.
The new Okanagan apples have drawn broad opposition. The Organic Consumers Association (OCA), which petitioned the USDA to deny approval, says the genetic changes that prevent browning could be harmful to human health and pesticide levels on the apples could be excessive.
The OCA would pressure food companies and retail outlets not to use the fruit, said its Director Ronnie Cummins. “This whole thing is just another big experiment on humans for no good reason,” he said.
USDA said it had determined the apples were “unlikely to pose a plant pest risk to agriculture” and they are “not likely to have a significant impact on the human environment”. The law only allows the agency’s decision to be based on its analysis of the plant pest risk to agriculture or other plants in the United States.
The Food and Drug Administration, which has no mandatory review process for genetically engineered foods, is looking at the new apples through a voluntary consultation with Okanagan.
Several science, environmental and consumer groups have said they worry the genetic changes could have unintended consequences for insects, animals and humans.
“We think there are some possible risks that were not adequately considered,” said Doug Gurian-Sherman, a plant pathologist and senior scientist with the Centre for Food Safety non-profit group.
Okanagan said in a statement its apples had undergone “rigorous review” and were “likely the most tested apples on the planet”.
Diageo says science will lead its future policy on GM cereals
08.02.2015
International drinks giant Diageo has hinted it will be open to sourcing genetically modified (GM) cereals in Europe if scientists give the technology the seal of approval.
The company’s head of procurement Angus Duncan said although the company was currently GM-free in Scotland, it would be open to using GM crops in the future.
“We will be very much led by the science community but to date we are GM-free within Europe,” said Mr Duncan at the Farming Scotland conference in Carnoustie this week.
The GM debate has intensified in recent months, with MEPs voting last month to allow EU member states to restrict or ban the cultivation of GM crops in their own territory.
The new legislation, which will come into force this spring, could also allow member states to push ahead and approve the use of GM crops by farmers.
Within the UK, politicians north and south of the border have differing views on the use of the technology.
Defra secretary Liz Truss is in favour of the technology and says UK farmers need GM to help them compete in a global market.
However, Scots farm minister Richard Lochhead has warned that Scottish farmers could face sanctions making it impossible to grow GM crops, even if the UK Government gives the technology the green light.
Mr Lochhead has said that although it would not be within the remit of the Scottish Government to determine whether or not farmers could grow GM crops, other measures would be put in place to make it too burdensome to do so.
Diageo, which produces brands such as Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff vodka and Guinness, operates across 50 sites in Scotland, employing around 12,000 people.
Mr Duncan said the company regards itself as a “major supporter of local agriculture and Scottish farmers” sourcing nearly half a million tonnes of wheat, malting barley and malt in Scotland.
Around 200,000 tonnes of malting barley, of which 90% is Scottish, is bought by the company through grain merchants. Farmers are offered three-year rolling contracts with the price based on the LIFFE November wheat price plus a premium.
All the wheat used by the firm in Scotland – 220,000 tonnes – is Scottish and sourced from three merchants. Farmers are given 5-year contracts based on the LIFFE futures market.
While, 85% of the 60,000 tonnes of malt sourced is Scottish.
Mr Duncan said prices paid to Scots farmers for their crops will always be based on the global market, rather than a special Scottish premium, in order to remain competitive.
He also called on industry to do more work in developing new malting barley varieties for future use.
“We don’t think there is enough research going into the new varieties coming through to make sure we are taking our interests forward,” said Mr Duncan.
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/business/farming/482950/undefined-headline-745/
EU feed industry urges action on GM imports
05.02.2015
EU feed and grain groups have urged the European Commission to stop prevaricating on clearing GM crops for import, warning that pressures on the feed sector have sent production to a three-year low. Fefac, the EU feed industry association, said the Commission must act "immediately" to clear a backlog of GM approvals, warning of "serious shortages of much-needed imports" if officials continue to delay decisions. In a joint statement with oilseed crushers association Fediol and cereals industry group Coceral, Fefac warned that the current regime represents a "ticking bomb", as even small traces of unapproved biotech crops in imports could lead to shipments being blocked at port. For EU imports of US soybeans alone, "possible blockage at EU customs would mean costs of up to €100m per month".
http://www.agrimoney.com/news/flagging-eu-feed-industry-urges-aid-on-gm-imports--7948.html
Genetic advances offer alternatives to GMOs
01.12.14
Jean-Yves Foucault, head of French seed company Limagrain, has said the controversy over GM crops in Europe is clouding the potential of plant breeding research to bring improved results by non-GM methods. He said advances in our scientific understanding of the genetic make-up of plants could ultimately help to develop more resilient, higher-yielding crops through conventional breeding methods, and that the issue of GMOs – which now account for around half the $40bn global seed market - should not be over-dramatised. Through its subsidiary Vilmorin, Limagrain is the world’s fourth largest seed company by sales, and is involved in both conventional and GM seed research, although the company still generates nearly two thirds of its overall sales in Europe, where use of GM crops is minimal.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/01/crops-limagrain-idUSL6N0TL1OE20141201