Save our Seeds

Greenpeace today accused the European Commission of exposing EU Member States to the irreversible risks of genetically engineered crops and of undermining safety regulations within the EU.While the Commission claims that Monsanto`s GE maize (MON810) has been monitored for environmental risks and that it meets the requirements under current EU legislation, Greenpeace investigations show that no comprehensive monitoring plan exists. Greenpeace calls for the EU Member States to take initiatives to stop the commercialisation of Monsanto`s GE maize.</p><p><a href="http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0215-01.htm">Greenpeace via Common dreams</a></p><p><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/reports/?campaign%5fid=3942">Greenpeace background information on Mon 810 monitoring plan</a>

Profits up 73%, sales up 11 % at 7.3 bio US $ - 2004 was an excellent year for Syngenta, the worlds largest pesticide producer and GMO giant. GMOs did not play a significant part of the success story. Seed sales boosted in non-GM sector and areas and in chemical seed treatment.</p><p><a href="http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050210/switzerland_syngenta_2.html">AP: Agrochemical Co. Syngenta reports profits</a></p><p><a href="http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050210/nyth069_1.html">Syngenta Full Year Results 2004</a>

An international moratorium on the use of controversial "terminator technology" in genetically engineered crops survived efforts to overturn it at a United Nations meeting on the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bangkok. Delegates agreed more studies and future talks are needed to settle the issue.</p><p><a href="http://www.ipsnews.net/new_nota.asp?idnews=27410">IPS News: Ban endures on Terminator Seeds</a></p><p><a href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/100205_News/10Feb2005_news15.php">Bangkokpost</a>

An "open source" method of gene transfer to plants and a method of visualising gene activity in a plant is described in the latest edition of "Nature". Funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and spearheaded by Richard Jeffersons "Cambia" it aims to break the patent monopoly of Monsanto & Co. on GMO technologies.</p><p><a href="http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,66545,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2">Wired News: Genetically Modified IP Launched</a></p><p><a href="http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,66289,00.html?tw=wn_story_related">Wired News: Open-Source Biology Evolves</a>

Five years after a global moratorium on sterile seed technology has been established, a confidential document leaked today to ETC Group reveals that the Canadian government, at a UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting in Bangkok (Feb 7-11), will attempt to overturn this moratorium on so called Terminator seeds.</p><p><a href="http://www.etcgroup.org/article.asp?newsid=498">ETC group: Canadian Government to push for commercialisation of Sterile Seed Technology</a></p><p><a href="http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4876">GMWatch: call for protest to Canadian government</a></p><p><a href="http://capwiz.com/thecampaign/issues/alert/?alertid=6931696&type=CU">Direct link to say NO to Terminator</a>

The German Genetic Modification Act entered into force with its publication in the Federal Register. Art 16a para 3 of the German Act implements Art 3(b) of the EU Directive and demands that each farmer has to announce the commercial planting of GE crops to the Federal Agency for Consumer Protection and Food Safety three months in advance.</p><p><a href="http://217.160.60.235/BGBL/bgbl1f/bgbl105s0186.pdf">German Genetic Modification Act - original (pdf)</a></p><p><a href="http://www.verbraucherministerium.de/index-000265812B89107E9DEC6521C0A8D816.html">Ministry for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture - English summary</a></p><p><a href="http://www.bvl.bund.de/standortregister.htm">German register - the online-version</a>

Agricultural ministers and their representatives from 20 Regions in Europe have adopted a Charta calling for the right to stay GMO free and for GMO free seeds. The regional governments commit to pursue local and regional regulations and to defend GMO free agriculture and biodiversity in their territories.</p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/conference">GMO-free regions conference: Florence Charter in English, French and Italian</a></p><p><a href="http://www.agi.it/english/news.pl?doc=200502042003-1304-RT1-CRO-0-NF51&page=0&id=agionline-eng.arab">AGI online: "GMO-free" - European Regions Network set up in Florence</a></p><p><a href="http://sos.k42.org/conference/Downloads/agence_europe_on_florence_en.pdf">Agence Europe (pdf)</a></p><p><a href="http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/1000farming/tm_objectid=15164792&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=-countryside-minister-signs-european-gm-charter-name_page.html">IC Wales: Countryside Minister signs European GM charter</a></p><p><a href="http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3228,36-398036,0.html">Le Monde: Vingt régions européennes défient Bruxelles en refusant les OGM</a>

Of the thousands of items stocked in European supermarkets, Greenpeace said it found only 77 GMO-labelled products in 10 EU countries, as of November 2004, mostly in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Czech and Slovak Republics. But EU labelling laws do not apply to dairy, eggs and beef coming from animals that have eaten GMO feed, or to foods made with the help of a GMO enzyme, like some bakery products. This is still a huge loophole in EU legislation.</p><p><a href="http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/29364/story.htm">Reuters via Planetark</a>

Another GMO maize will be discussed on March 7 when EU member state experts should vote on whether to allow imports for processing into animal feed. But the maize, known as 1507, would not be allowed in food products or to be sown as a crop.</p><p><a href="http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/29363/story.htm">Reuters via Planetark</a>

Yesterday, the European Commission`s Joint Research Centre released six new applications for field trials for public information - all of them in France.</p><p><a href="http://gmoinfo.jrc.it/gmp_browse_geninf.asp">EC Joint Research Centre</a>