2 April 2015 / According to new government data, glyphosate use in the US has increased over the years 2002 to 2012 from 49,000 tons to 128,000 tons annually. Now, the US Environmental Protection Agency has responded and wants to enforce limits that industry and farmers must adhere to when using the herbicide. This was reported by Reuters.
Project leader tries to hide real problems with contamination from genetically engineered plants
26 March 2015 / In a media release from 19 March, experts involved in the EU project, PRICE, state that the outcome of the project shows current EU regulations to be sufficiently robust to avoid major problems with contamination from genetically engineered plants. They especially refer to field trials with genetically engineered maize in Spain. Not mentioned are findings from investigations in Portugal, where bakery products were found to be contaminated with genetically engineered maize, in some cases to quite a high level.
Genome editing in humans raises broader public debate
23 March 2015 / In a call published last week in the international magazines Science and Nature, researchers suggest a moratorium on research in human genome editing. They are warning that new technologies such as DNA-scissors (CRISPR/Cas9 and TALENs) make it easy for anyone with basic training to insert, remove, and edit genes in cells - including human sperm, eggs, and embryos. The purpose is not only to potentially cure genetic diseases but also to add other desired genetic information.
Ombudsman asked to investigate maladministration at the EU Commission
Thursday, 12 March 2015
Testbiotech has filed a complaint to the European Ombudsman against the EU Commission. It has submitted evidence of incorrect or inadequate statements regarding the declaration of interests of experts involved in the so-called GRACE project. The GRACE project was initiated to investigate methods for the risk assessment of genetically engineered plants. However, a recent GRACE publication on a feeding trial with rats makes no mention of relevant data indicating health impacts.
English
Deutsch
