1.Bayer CropScience targets non-GMO wheat traits
2.Greenpeace delight after baker shuns GM wheat
NOTE: See also: Non-GM biotech is the future http://bit.ly/3HjktZ
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1.Bayer CropScience targets non-GMO wheat traits
Charlie Dunmore
Reuters, November 29 2011 [shortened]
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/29/us-eu-bayer-cropscience-idUSTRE7AS0FH20111129
BRUSSELS - Bayer's CropScience unit plans to develop new heat- and drought-resistant wheat traits over the next decade without the use of genetic modification, a top executive said on Tuesday.
But Europe, the world's top wheat producer, must overcome its fear of agricultural innovation such as genetically modified (GM) crops or risk undermining its own food security, the division's chief executive officer, Sandra Peterson, told Reuters in an interview.
The German company has announced a series of deals and partnerships to increase its access to wheat seed traits, or "germplasm," as part of its program to develop improved varieties of the world's biggest cereal crop by planted area.
"The thing that has not had enough attention is really thinking about how to use modern breeding techniques to really look at the germplasm pools and find ways to actually improve yields, and to improve the heat and drought tolerance of these crops," Peterson said.
By using marker-assisted breeding techniques, which enable plant breeders to screen huge numbers of seeds for desired traits such as drought-resistance, Petersen said the company will be able to develop new varieties much more quickly.
"It's basically just turbo-charging traditional, classical breeding. Before we see the full impact of all of this it's ten years, but there are milestones in 2015, 2017, 2019 of things that are actually going to have an impact, and all of those first eight to ten years do not require the use of GMO (genetically modified organisms)," she said.
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2.Greenpeace delight after baker shuns GM wheat
Alexandra Smith
Sydney Morning Herald, December 1 2011
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/greenpeace-delight-after-baker-shuns-gm-wheat-20111130-1o723.html
The country's largest bakery chain has ruled out using genetically modified wheat in its bread even though trials of the product are still in progress and it would be at least four years before it could be used in Australia.
Bakers Delight has ruled out using genetically modified wheat after a sustained social media campaign by Greenpeace, to force a company response.
A Greenpeace spokesman said it took a two-hour campaign on Facebook on Monday to get confirmation from the company that it would not use GM wheat.
A Bakers Delight spokeswoman said the company had never used any GM products in its bakeries and it had never intended to use GM wheat in its bread.
A Greenpeace food campaigner, Laura Kelly applauded Bakers Delight's stance because consumers should not be "force fed genetically modified bread". "This should be a wake-up call ”¦ that Australians won't swallow GM bread," she said.
The federal government yesterday rejected recommendations for clear labelling of modified foods or ingredients.