US company Altor BioScience is to withdraw patent claims covering genetically engineered chimpanzees. The announcement has been made prior to a public hearing on oppositions against the patent (Patent EP1409646) on 7 and 8 July at European Patent Office (EPO) in Munich. The company still wants to keep its claims covering genetically engineered mice and rats. The opponents consider these claims to be morally unacceptable since such patents can provide incentives to carry out animal experiments for commercial reasons.
Scientists from France examine 13 samples from 9 countries
3 July 2015 / An investigation led by the French scientist Gilles-Eric Seralini has found a broad range of environmental contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals and PCBs in feed used for laboratory animals such as rats and mice. The contaminants were detected in standard diets used for purposes such as raising the animals and feeding the control groups in toxicological studies. Some of the concentrations that were measured were above existing limits and the mixtures of contaminants could be said to be a health risk.
Complaints concern herbicide resistant oilseed rape and soybeans with changed oil composition
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
t. Several organisations filed requests for the EU Commission to review market authorisations for the import of genetically engineered plants for usage in food and feed in the EU issued end of March. The complaints concern a genetically engineered oilseed rape produced by Monsanto made resistant to the herbicide glyphosate (MON88302), as well as three soybeans produced by Monsanto and Pioneer, in which the composition of the oil they contain has been changed (MON87769, MON87705 and DP305423). The complaints were filed according to EU regulation 1367/2006.
Letter from Brussels quashes decision of German authority
Friday, 26 June 2015
A letter sent by the EU Commission in mid-June to the relevant authorities of EU Member States clearly confirms that a decision made by the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) on the release of a genetically engineered oilseed rape produced by the US company Cibus, cannot be implemented. The letter strongly contradicts the decision made by the German authority in February 2015, which would have allowed the release of Cibus oilseed rape without it being subject to regulation required for genetically engineered organisms.
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