At a hearing of the Committee agricultural commissioner Marianne Fischer Boel insisted that no general, yet maybe specific bans of GM growing were justified at regional level. She announced a new network of EU member state authorities on co-existence. Representatives of the Regional governments, the EU Parliament and Economic and Social Affairs Committee insisted on the protection of non-GM farming and production and the right of the regions to ban GMOs to this end. Proponents of GMO introduction from science, industry and the German state of Sachsen-Anhalt claimed that co-existence was feasible and called for laxer rules.</p><p><a href="http://www.cor.eu.int/en/press/press_05_06065.html">Committee of the Regions: Press Releases</a></p><p><a href="http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/JOHtml.do?uri=OJ:L:2005:164:SOM:EN:HTML">Commission decision on co-existence network in the Official Journal (p 50)</a>

EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas wants to discuss the political significance of last weeks Council of ministers, when 22 of 25 states voted in favour of national bans against EU approved GM varieties.</p><p><a href="http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2005-06-30T123235Z_01_L30559352_RTRIDST_0_SCIENCE-FOOD-EU-GMO-DC.XML">Reuters: Biotech crop policy in EU gets rethink after rebuff</a>

A small breeding company in Nebraska, USA, says it developed a non-GM maize variety, which rejects pollination from other varieties. Probably his own experience with the GM "Starlink" maize disaster led Tom Hoegemeyer to use an "exotic" variety of maize, which blocks pollination from external pollen sources. In field tests using both purple-seeded maize and GMO varieties, the contamination was either eliminated or reduced to an extremely low level. Hoegemeyer intends to offer its "PuraMaize" in the US in 2006.</p><p><a href="http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/5481172.html">Star Tribune: New corn is a breed apart</a>

The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation announced massive grants for genetic engineering of banana, rice, sorghum, cassava to "create a full range of optimal, bioavailable nutrients in a single staple plant species" in developing countries.</p><p><a href="http://www.gatesfoundation.org/nr/downloads/globalhealth/GCGH_Grants_Backgrounder.pdf">Details of the Grants (see #9)</a></p><p><a href="http://www.gatesfoundation.org/GlobalHealth/Announcements/Announce-050627.htm">PR Gaters Foundation: 43 Groundbreaking Research Projects for More Than $436 Million in Funding</a>

In a major blow to the European Commissions efforts to overcome the deadlock on GMO planting in Europe, the Council of EU environment ministers has rejected with qualified (2/3rd) majority a proposal to lift 8 national bans on previously EU approved GMOs. The ministers also rejected the approval of Monsanto`s GM maize Mon863, but missed the qualified majority on this decision.</p><p><a href="http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2005-06-24T134447Z_01_N24176694_RTRIDST_0_SCIENCE-FOOD-EU-GMO-DC.XML">Reuters: EU ministers uphold sovereign right to ban GMOs</a></p><p><a href="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L24193532.htm">Reuters: EU ministers rebuff plans to overturn GMO bans</a></p><p><a href="http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/05/793&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en">EU Commission</a></p><p><a href="http://eu.greenpeace.org/downloads/gmo/PREnvCouncil050624.pdf">Greenpeace: Commission defeated in string of GMO votes</a></p><p><a href="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L24232121.htm">Reuters: Chronology of EU moves on gene crops and foods</a></p><p><a href="http://www.saveourseeds.org/downloads/FOE_PR_EU_bans_240605.pdf">Friends of the Earth: EU ministers vote to keep GM foods ban</a></p><p><a href="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L24694224.htm">Reuters: EU`s legal labyrinth of GMO legislation</a></p><p><a href="http://www.syngenta.com/en/news/050624_bt176.aspx">Syngenta: Statement on EU Member States decision not to lift GM bans</a>

GM foods so far are safe a new WHO study concludes, but must be evaluated and monitored carefully before marketing in a "wholistic way". The report "Modern food biotechnology, human health and development" also recommends evaluations of GM foods should be widened to include social, cultural and ethical considerations.</p><p><a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2005/pr29/en/index.html">WHO Current GM foods can bring benefits but safety assessments must continue</a></p><p><a href="http://www.who.int/foodsafety/biotech/who_study/en/index.html">Report in English, French, Spanish</a>

Greenpeace published confidential Monsanto documents on rat feeding trials with GM maize. The animals displayed negative health effects after being fed Monsanto`s Mon863. A German court ordered the release of the documents on Monday, ruling such facts could not be withheld als "confidential business information" by Monsanto. The EU environment council will decide about the authorisation of Mon863-imports on Friday. Greenpeace and scientists are calling for an import ban.</p><p><a href="http://eu.greenpeace.org/issues/news.html">Greenpeace European Unit: GM maize has risks and side effects</a></p><p><a href="http://www.saveourseeds.org/downloads/monsanto_ratstudy.pdf">An 11 page excerpt of the study (pdf)</a></p><p><a href="http://www.saveourseeds.org/downloads/monsanto_fullratstudy.pdf">The whole study ~1100 pages (5mb - pdf)</a>

Despite a Supreme Court ruling in April the port turned back 745 truckloads that tested positive for GM soy. The port says it doesn't have the facilities to segregate GM and non-GM products. The State of Parana has a gmo-free policy.</p><p><a href="http://www.just-food.com/news_detail.asp?art=61079">just-food.com: Port of Paranagua stops GM exports despite court ruling</a>

The chairman of the GM dispute panel at the World Trade Organisation, Swiss trade diplomat Christian Haberli, recently told the parties that the panel`s ruling, due by the end of June, was now being put off until the end of October, due to the complexity of the case, the large amount of documentation submitted, as well as the decision to consult with scientific experts on technical issues.</p><p><a href="http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/news-ng.asp?n=60763-complexities-of-gm">Complexities of GM issue delay WTO decision</a>

The Commission might not introduce any legislation on GM seed thresholds, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas suggested. Responding to questioning from Environment Committee MEPs he said the Commission had not yet decided whether to legislate on GM seed thresholds and that action was not necessarily required. A Commission spokesperson confirmed that a number of different possibilities were being examined on the basis of their feasability and potential benefit, and that the option of not proposing legislation on thresholds had not been ruled out.