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The risks of New GE techniques

Warning against the deregulation of genetically engineered organisms

24 March 2022 / A new document released today by Testbiotech and the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) discusses the basic differences between plant breeding and genetic engineering, and argues that these differences need to be considered in regulation.

CRISPR cattle given regulatory clearance in the US

EU could be affected by imports

21 March 2022 / The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has decided in favour of allowing CRIPSR/Cas cattle with short, slick coats for agricultural purposes. The shorter hair is said to let the cattle more easily withstand hot weather, and thus gain weight faster. However, the supposed advantages of the gene scissors application are questionable – and the desired characteristics can also be achieved using conventional breeding.

Transgenic maize is contaminating traditional varieties in Brazil

Another example of uncontrolled spread of genetically engineered organisms

11 March 2022 / Researchers at the Brazilian agricultural research agency, Embrapa, have found large-scale transgenic contamination of traditional maize varieties. According to the study that has been published in the journal Plants, transgenes were found in one third (34 percent) of around 1,000 samples taken in 2018/19 and 2020/21 in states in the east and northeast of the country.

‘New GE’ deregulated through the backdoor

EU Commission: Eggs from CRISPR/Cas hens will not be risk assessed or labelled

4 March 2022 / Eggs and laying hens originating from transgenic hens could be marketed in the EU without these having to undergo an approval process, and without being labelled. This is the conclusion that can be drawn from a letter sent by the EU Commission to the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) in July 2021. The letter now was made public after a request from the German Union of Peasant Farmers (AbL).