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Tag Archives: GM

The 2010 ISAAA Report on Biotech Crops

“Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2010.”

It’s a rather calm-sounding official title for an important compilation of data on what’s happening with agricultural biotechnology around the world.

On Tuesday, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) released its annual report. This one also provides a 15-year overview, with the first biotech crop haveing been introduced in 1996.

Highlights of the report include:

• Biotech crops are now grown on more than one billion acres, about 10 percent of the total cropland in the world.
• The rate of adoption of biotech crops in the last … Full Article »

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Originally published
February 22, 2011 by Glynn Young

Canola was originally bred in the 1970s, and is used as a food oil and as biofuel. Canola is also used as an animal feed and can be found in candles and lipsticks.

GM Canola on the Loose? Some Points to Consider

Have you ever seen a canola plant? It’s a very pretty crop produced for its oil and distinguished by its bright yellow blooms. From a purely aesthetic point of view, it’s not a bad plant to find growing as a weed along the roadside, which often happens. Some probably even mistake it for a wildflower. One department of transportation is purposefully planting it roadside.

Canola (and more specifically, GM canola) is the topic of a research survey described as “the first evidence of established populations of genetically modified plants in the wild.” The survey was presented at the Ecological … Full Article »

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Originally published
August 6, 2010 by Mica Veihman

Europe Proposes Changes to GMO Approvals

The European Commission announced today that they are proposing new rules for GMO approvals. The new rules would give each of the 27 EU member states the right to grow, restrict or ban biotech crops in their respective countries. The EU Commission would still study health effects of the crops under the current system.

Currently, the only biotech products approved for planting in the EU are potato (BASF’s Amflora) and a Monsanto corn product, MON 810. MON 810 is an insect-protected (B.t.) hybrid called YieldGard which protects the crop against European corn borer. MON 810 was … Full Article »

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Originally published
July 13, 2010 by Mica Veihman

Five Answers on Monsanto’s Haiti Seed Donation

Since announcing Monsanto’s $4 million seed donation to Haitian farmers on May 13, there have been some questions and some inaccuracies regarding details of the gift. We covered some of the answers in this initial blog post, which primarily addressed how the donation came about and noted the seeds were hybrids not biotech (GMO).

  • Monsanto contacted the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture and offered specific non-GMO seed varieties and quantities suited for Haiti’s growing conditions. The Ministry reviewed the offer and asked some questions, including whether we intended to include GMO seed because Haiti does not have the legal framework

    • … Full Article »

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Originally published
May 20, 2010 by Mica Veihman

Maize Production and South Africa

I’m Kobus Lindeque, the business lead for Africa. As some of you have heard, a few weeks ago we started hearing from some of our farmer customers about a pollen issue with three white maize hybrids grown in South Africa. In some instances, farmers experienced reduced yield. We’ve committed to reimburse the farmers for their lost yield.

This is an issue involving seed production that we will correct.

Yesterday, we posted a news release on our South Africa Monsanto Web site that provides an update. I’ve included a copy of that news release here for those who might be interested.… Full Article »

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Originally published
April 2, 2009 by Monsantoco