The European Commission authorised today the placing on the market of the genetically modified maize MON 863 for import and processing as animal feed after the Council of Ministers had adopted a different position. The decision does not cover uses as human food, which is expected to be voted on by ministers in September. The maize can only be imported if approved for both uses.</p><p><a href="http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/31971/story.htm">Reuters: EU Authorises GMO Maize Type by Legal Rubberstamp</a></p><p><a href="http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/05/1046&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en">EU Commission: Press Release</a></p><p><a href="http://www.foeeurope.org/press/2005/HM_08_August_maize.htm">Friends of the Earth: Press Release</a></p><p><a href="http://saveourseeds.org/dossier/fact_sheet_mon_863.html">SOS factsheet on Mon 863</a>

Biotech company Mera Pharmaceutical in Kailua-Kona, Hawai received a first permit to produce in open containers seven novel strains of "biopharmaceutical" algae genetically modified to produce experimental drugs. Hawaian citizens have filed a law suit against it and warn the algae could be released into the islands waters.</p><p><a href="http://www.earthjustice.org/news/display.html?ID=1035">Earthjustice: Newsroom</a>

Around 400 protestors against GMO releases attempted to "liberate" one of the few fields grown to GM maize in Germany, but were blocked by massive police forces around the field in Brandenburg, near Berlin.</p><p><a href="http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1664782,00.html">GM Corn Protesters Send Message</a></p><p><a href="http://www.gendreck-weg.de/e-esdrohtgefahr.html">"chuck out gm-muck" website of organisers</a>

Coodetec, Brazils leading GM seed producer announced it had sold only 10% of its GM seeds, which had been legalised to grow last year. Even if all GM seeds available would be sold, they would only cover a little less than 10% of the entire Brazilian soybean area. The company cited patent fees to Monsanto as a major obstacle.</p><p><a href="http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=news&doc_id=10853&start=1&control=211&page_start=1&page_nr=101&pg=1">Reuters: Brazil GMO soy sales start slowly; royalties cited</a>

Bayer crop science has withdrawn its application for glufosinate tolerant GM oilseed rape cultivation in Europe. The move became public after outcrossing of the herbicide resistance gene to a wild relative (charlock mustard) had been found and now published by UK government scientists from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. Bayer claimed it had already withdrawn the application last autumn and a Commission spokesperson confirmed serious reservations on the product from various member states.</p><p><a href="http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=news&doc_id=10864&start=1&control=223&page_start=1&page_nr=101&pg=1">Dow Jones: Bayer withdraws request to grow genetically modified rapeseed</a></p><p><a href="http://politics.guardian.co.uk/green/story/0,9061,1536021,00.html">Guardian: Weed discovery brings calls for GM ban</a></p><p><a href="http://www.plant-identification.co.uk/skye/cruciferae/sinapis-arvensis.htm">Charlock mustard (Sinapis arvensis)</a></p><p><a href="http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/research/pdf/epg_1-5-151.pdf">The potential of dispersal for herbicide tolerance genes from GMO to wild relatives</a></p><p><a href="http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/new_set_back_for_gm_crops_26072005.html">FOE Press release: New setback for GM Crops</a>

Modified genes from crops in a GM crop trial have transferred into local wild plants, creating a form of herbicide-resistant "superweed".</p><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1535363,00.html">The Guardian: GM crops created superweed, say scientists</a></p><p><a href="http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050725/full/050725-2.html">Nature: Transgenic crop may have bred with wild weed</a>

The EU Standing Committee on Seeds failed to agree on Greece`s ban on planting genetically modified maize seeds, leaving the decision to be made by ministers later in the year. The vote on a similar ban issues by Poland was postponed.</p><p><a href="http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2005-07-20T121012Z_01_L20526505_RTRIDST_0_SCIENCE-FOOD-EU-GMO-DC.XML">Reuters</a>

The three maize hybrids are all manufactured by US biotech giant Monsanto. Their intended use in the European Union, if an authorisation is granted, would be for in food and animal feed, as well as industrial processing, but not growing.The hybrids are based on the following modified maize types known by the codenumbers MON 863, MON 810 and NK 603.</p><p><a href="http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/31678/story.htm">Reuters</a></p><p><a href="http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/gmo/gmo_opinions/1032_en.html">EFSA: GMO Panel opinion (part 1)</a></p><p><a href="http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/gmo/gmo_opinions/1033_en.html">EFSA: GMO Panel opinion (part 2)</a>

The Spanish inter-ministerial biotechnology commission decided on July 13th to submit a favorable risk assessment for the cultivation of Monsanto`s NK 603 and to approve additional seed varieties of the already approved GMO Mon 810. "Something we have been encouraging the Government of Spain to do at each opportunitduring its first year of governance," writes an enthusiastic US embassy in Madrid.</p><p><a href="http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200507/146130292.pdf">USDA Foreign Agricultural Service: biotechnology developments in Spain</a></p><p><a href="http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticleSearch.aspx?storyID=263071+20-Jul-2005+RTRS&srch=NK603">Reuters: Spains OKs Monsanto biotech corn</a>

The European Food Safety Authority is consulting the public on principles and procedures how to survey adverse effects of GMOs in the environment. In the agencies own worlds "A major challenge of general surveillance is determining whether an observed effect is unusual, an unusual effect is adverse and the adverse effect is associated with the GM crop or its cultivation." Deadline for submissions is September 15th.</p><p><a href="http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/gmo/gmo_consultations/1034_en.html">EFSA: Public consultation of the working document "General Surveillance of the Impact of GM Plants"</a>