Tag: GMO
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Documentary Targets GM Agriculture
The Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT) has released a new documentary, Genetic Roulette: The Game of Our Lives, that accuses the U.S. government of permitting “untested genetically modified (GM) crops into our environment and food supply.” Based on IRT founder Jeffrey Smith’s book of the same title, the film alleges that “the same serious health problems…
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Organic Farmers Seek to Stop GM Canola Crops in Oregon
A nonprofit family farming organization, the Center for Food Safety and several seed companies have sued the Oregon Department of Agriculture seeking court review and a stay of a temporary rule that would open 1.7 million acres to genetically modified (GM) canola plants. Friends of Family Farmers v. Or. Dep’t of Agric., No. ___ (Or. Ct. App.,…
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USDA’s Biotech Advisory Committee to Discuss Compensation for GE Cross-Contamination
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an August 27-28, 2012, meeting of its Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21) in Washington, D.C. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has specifically asked the committee to report on the types of compensation mechanisms that could be used “to address economic losses by farmers in…
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USDA Deregulates GE Sugar Beets
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has determined that genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets are “no longer considered a regulated article under our regulations governing the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms.” According to the agency, the crop, which is engineered to tolerate the herbicide glyphosate and is…
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ABA Sponsors Program on California’s Proposed GM Food Labeling Law
The American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources will hold a teleconference on July 31, 2012, titled “California’s Proposed GM Food Labeling Law: Pros, Cons, and Legal Issues.” A panel of speakers, including the Center for Food Safety’s George Kimbrell and the Global Environmental Ethics Counsel’s Thomas Redick, will consider the latest information…
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Andrew Torrance, “Planted Obsolescence: Synagriculture and the Law,” Idaho L. Rev., 2012
University of Kansas School of Law Professor Andrew Torrance discusses in this article the promises of synthetic biology, which takes genetic engineering (GE) one step further by designing organisms from scratch, and its potential perils. Dubbed “synagriculture,” the new technology is apparently being developed by those dedicated to sharing, spreading and pooling innovative biotechnologies and…
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Scientists Engineer Cows to Produce Low Lactose, Omega-3 Milk
Two groups of scientists at Inner Mongolia University in Huhhot, China, have reportedly created two genetically modified (GM) calves capable of producing either low-lactose milk or milk high in omega-3 fatty acids. According to media sources, the group involved with low-lactose milk production hopes to create herds of GM cows that would supply a range…
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AMA Amends Policy on GE Foods
The American Medical Association’s (AMA) House of Delegates has reportedly updated its policy on genetically engineered (GE) foods, voting at its 2012 Annual Meeting to adopt a statement that supports pre-market product testing but opposes special labeling. According to media sources, AMA’s statement concludes that “there is no scientific justification for special labeling of bioengineered…