Print
2009 marked another year of remarkable global resistance to the imposition of GMOs. Here are some of GMWatch's highlights from around the world and check out too our commentary on how criticism of the biotech industry went mainstream in 2009.

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JANUARY
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+ INDIA: DOCTORS CALL FOR GM MORATORIUM
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10436:doctors-call-for-moratorium-on-gm-crops
http://bit.ly/4DLPOo

+ EUROPE: GOODBYE GLUFOSINATE
European Parliament members voted to ban pesticides classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction. Permits for 22 substances, among them Bayer's glufosinate - a pesticide used on its GM "Liberty Link" crops, will not be renewed.
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-test/10464-take-glufosinate-off-the-market-immediately

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FEBRUARY
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+ FRANCE TO MAINTAIN GM BAN
France's environment ministry said it would not lift its ban on Monsanto's MON810 GM corn (maize). MON810 is the only GM crop approved for commercial cultivation in the EU.
http://www.france24.com/en/20090212-corn-genetically-modified-france-food-safety
http://tiny.cc/tPJ2t
http://tiny.cc/833Uc

+ HUNGARY DEFIES COMMISSION TO KEEP BAN ON GMOs
In defiance of the European Commission, Hungary announced that it would keep its ban on GM corn imports and the planting of GM seeds.
http://tiny.cc/0oAC7

+ EU STATES CANNOT COVER UP GM TRIAL SITES - COURT
EU member states cannot cover up the location of sites where GMOs have been released, even if they fear that the information could provoke public disorder, the EU's highest court - the European Court of Justice decided.
http://tiny.cc/7xXNI

+ U.S.: MORE rBGH VICTORIES
Yoplait, the 19th largest dairy processor in the US, went rBGH-free in response to customer demand to avoid the GM cattle drug developed by Monsanto. Customers for rBGH farm milk in New York had decreased so sharply that only a handful of manufacturing plants were left which were willing to receive product from those using the GM hormone on their herds.
http://lancasterfarming.com/node/1700

+ NEW ZEALAND: GM BRASSICA TRIALS ABANDONED AFTER SAFETY BREACH
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0902/S00019.htm

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MARCH
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+ UNIVERSITY ABANDONS GM TRIALS
Hundreds of farmers from across Maharashtra traveled to Kolhapur to protest against an open-air trial of Monsanto's GM corn at the Maharishi Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV) University. Subsequently, MPKV's Vice Chancellor, Dr Rajaram Deshmukh, said that the trial would be stopped and all material from the trial plot would be destroyed. He added that the university would not undertake any more GM trials.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gm-corn-trials-in-kolhapur-stopped/442350/

+ MONSANTO'S UPHILL BATTLE IN GERMANY
In Germany, an alliance of beekeepers, protestors and politicians is chasing Monsanto and its GM crops out of the country, reported an article in Der Spiegel that's well worth reading in full.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10767:monsantos-uphill-battle-in-germany

+ U.S. FEDERAL JUDGE SAYS NO TO GM CROPS ON REFUGE LAND
A US federal judge ruled that the US Fish and Wildlife agency should not have permitted farming with GM crops on the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10829:federal-judge-says-no-to-modified-crops-on-us-refuge-land
http://bit.ly/5ZSIir

+ GROWING EU CONSENSUS FOR LETTING EACH COUNTRY DECIDE ON GMOs
A growing consensus emerged among EU member states in favour of allowing each nation to decide on its GM cultivation policy.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10828:growing-eu-consensus-for-national-gm-decision-making
http://bit.ly/4p8iFR

+ LUXEMBOURG: LATEST COUNTRY TO BAN GM CORN
The number of European Union (EU) member states opposing the EU Commission's pro-GM stance increased. Just three weeks after the EU Council of Ministers rejected the EU Commission's proposal to waive the bans of Austria and Hungary on Monsanto's MON810, Luxembourg also announced a ban on the GM corn.
http://www.wort.lu/wort/web/letzebuerg/artikel/11755/luxemburg-verbietet-genmais-mon810.php

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APRIL
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+ GERMANY BANS GM CORN
Germany banned the planting of Monsanto's MON810 GM corn, the only GM crop grown commercially in Europe. Germany was the sixth EU country to introduce a provisional ban on MON810, following similar actions by France, Austria, Hungary, Luxembourg and Greece. The European Commission sought to force Austria and Hungary to reverse their bans on the crop but its ruling was overturned by a majority of EU nations. A source close to the European Commission said the German ban might bring a revision of the European legislation on GM crops. Throughout Europe, the public opinion is against GM and if the people were asked one more time, "there would be a rejection," the source said on condition of anonymity.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/14/germany-gm-crops
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLE16356920090414
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,619166,00.html
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4179022,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/14/germany-gm-crops
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1239807722.48
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,619347,00.html
NOTE: Euro News conducted an online poll on GM food and farming, asking, "Should genetically modified organisms be banned in Europe?" The results:
Yes: 79%
No: 18%
Don't know: 3%
http://www.euronews.net/news/you/

+ GERMANY: FARMERS DEMONSTRATE AGAINST PATENTS ON ANIMALS AND PLANTS
Over 1,000 farmers joined by environment and development aid organisations demonstrated against patents on animals and plants in Munich. Over 5,000 people and some 50 organisations have filed a joint opposition to a patent on fast-growing meat pigs originally registered by Monsanto.
http://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=3&Itemid=28

+ FRANCE ADOPTS GM-FREE LABELS FOR MEAT AND DAIRY
A new label bearing the words "Nourri sans OGM" (Fed without GMOs) was adopted for non-GM fed animal products on 3 April by the French government, as an addition to existing mandatory GM food labeling within the EU.
http://www.minefi.gouv.fr/conseilnationalconsommation/presentation.htm

+ OPPONENTS OF GM CROPS PROTEST IN SPAIN
Thousands of people took to the streets of the Spanish city of Zaragoza calling for a ban on the use of GM crops. They want their government to follow Germany's lead in banning GM corn.
http://www.euronews.net/2009/04/18/opponents-of-gm-crops-protest-in-spain/
Zaragoza is the capital of Aragon, which research shows has suffered a 75% reduction in the area devoted to organic maize since the introduction of GM corn. Coexistence has proved impossible.
http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/studien/bericht-113314.html
http://bangmfood.org/quotes/24-quotes/31-gm-and-non-gm-crops-cannot-coexist

+ SCOTTISH GOVT SUPPORTS GLOBAL OPPOSITION TO GM
In a video address to the fifth international conference on GM-free regions in Europe, Scotland's environment minister Roseanna Cunningham strongly re-affirmed the Scottish government's anti-GM stance. Cunningham said, "We are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with other nations who are opposed to GM and fight for what our people want."
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/04/24150325
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/04/24150325/Q/Video/548
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/pqa/wa-09/wa0422.htm

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MAY
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+ AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ENVRONMENTAL MEDICINE CALLS FOR MORATORIUM
American Academy of Environmental Medicine called for a moratorium on GM food, implementation of immediate long term independent safety testing, and labelling of GM foods, to safeguard the health and safety of consumers.
http://www.aaemonline.org/gmopost.html

+ OVER 70 COMPANIES VOW TO AVOID GM SUGAR BEETS
More than 70 companies signed a pledge promising to avoid using sugar from GM sugar beets.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026343_sugar_food_genetically_modified_sugar.html

+ GREECE EXTENDS BAN ON GM CORN SEEDS
Greece extended its ban on MON810 GM corn seed for another two years. The ban on importing and cultivating MON810 has also been expanded to include 100 types of the seed - up from 70 in the previous year.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11058:greece-extends-and-expands-ban-on-us-biotech-corn-seeds
http://bit.ly/5hWjz5

+ TASMANIA EXTENDS GM BAN TO 2014
Tasmania's ban on the release of GMOs to the environment will continue for at least another five years.
http://sl.farmonline.com.au/news/state/grains-and-cropping/general/tas-extends-gm-crop-ban-to-2014/1522098.aspx

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JUNE
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+ U.S. COURT RULES GM ALFALFA CAN CAUSE IRREVERSIBLE HARM
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the planting of GM alfalfa can cause potentially irreversible harm to organic and conventional crops. Monsanto's petition to rehear was denied. "This ruling affirms a major victory for consumers, ranchers, organic farmers, and most conventional farmers across the country”¦ [It] is a turning point in the regulation of biotech crops in this country," said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety.
http://usfoodpolicy.blogspot.com/2009/06/court-rules-ge-alfalfa-can-result-in.ht ml
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press_rele.cfm

+ IRISH DOCTORS CALL FOR A MORATORIUM ON GM FOODS
The Irish Doctors' Environmental Association (IDEA) backed calls by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine for an immediate moratorium on GM foods.
http://www.ideaireland.org/gmfood.htm

+ AGRESEARCH LOSES BID TO EXPAND GM ANIMAL RESEARCH
GE-Free New Zealand won a legal challenge to an AgResearch application to expand its research into GM animals.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11128:ge-free-nz-wins-court-battle-over-agresearch
http://bit.ly/6sOPFo

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JULY
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+ EUROPEAN COMMISSION AGREES TO EXPLORE OPT-OUT PROPOSAL
The European Commission agreed to draw up a list of options for further discussion after 11 countries urged that individual nations be allowed to opt out of growing GM crops.
http://tiny.cc/VwA25
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11504:barroso-backs-national-gm-bans
http://tiny.cc/FXFfj

+ TWO FORMER MONSANTO DIRECTORS SENTENCED
The French Supreme Court of Appeal rejected the appeal by two former Directors of Asgrow France, a subsidiary of Monsanto, confirming their fines of 5,000 and 10,000 Euros for "placing GMOs on the market without authorization".
http://tiny.cc/VwA25

+ WALES: GM-FREE ZONES TO PROTECT FARMERS
Welsh farm leaders welcomed tough new proposals to tighten controls on GM crops should they be grown.
http://tiny.cc/mpppQ

+ BASF HALTS GM POTATO RESEARCH IN UK
BASF pulled out of trialing its GM potatoes in the UK. This had been one of only two GM crops trialed in the UK in 2008. (In 2009 there appears to have been only one GM crop trial in the UK and this took place under conditions of high security.)
http://tiny.cc/mmm2T

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AUGUST
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+ PAKISTAN: FARMERS PROTEST AGAINST MONSANTO'S GM TRIALS
Thousands of farmers mobilized in a series of rallies in Pakistan to voice their concern about the government's decision to allow Monsanto to start Bt cotton trials in the country.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11510:farmers-in-pakistan-protest-against-monsantos-gm-trials
http://tiny.cc/szWdq

+ U.S.: FARMERS SUE BAYER
Nearly 1,500 rice farmers sued Bayer Cropscience and affiliated companies after their rice crops were contaminated by Bayer's unapproved GM rice.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11427:farmers-suing-bayer
http://tiny.cc/p6XOM

+ U.S.: MONSANTO INVESTIGATED FOR ANTITRUST
Monsanto is being investigated by the Obama administration for alleged anti-trust monopolies in agriculture. A CNBC report said, "A series of competition-crushing acquisitions made this biotech disguised as an agriculture outfit the market leader in genetically modified US corn, soybean and cotton seeds. And Monsanto maintains strict agreements with its farmer clients that leave them virtually no choice but to feed at the corporate trough. Plus, the company plans to push through a 42% price increase on its new seeds, and there's nothing these farmers can do about it."
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11434:monsanto-choking-out-competition
http://tiny.cc/c1Zon
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11437:monsanto-anti-trust-target-indicators-mount
http://tiny.cc/Ya5Zg
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11566:feds-probing-seed-industry
http://bit.ly/Zvc18
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11812:new-study-adds-to-monsantos-antitrust-troubles
http://bit.ly/4UeNss

+ FILIPINOS RALLY TO PRESERVE COUNTRY'S ORGANICS CAPITAL
Some 150 farmers and members of church and civic groups trooped to the Negros Occidental provincial capitol to press members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) to uphold an ordinance which bans the entry of GMOs and to secure the future of Negros as the organic farming capital of the Philippines.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11428:filipinos-rally-for-ban-on-gmos
http://tiny.cc/uPx5W

+ GM BARLEY SABOTAGED IN ICELAND
An experimental crop of GM barley in south Iceland was trashed by activists. http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11433:gm-barley-sabotaged-in-iceland
http://tiny.cc/PTb0h

+ WEST AUSTRALIA: DOCTORS VOICE GM CONCERNS
A group of West Australia doctors presented a urging their local council to remain GM free, citing health concerns.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11366:doctor s-join-gm-foods-protest
http://tiny.cc/xbdCi

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SEPTEMBER
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+ U.S.: JUDGE REJECTS APPROVAL OF GM SUGAR BEETS
A federal judge ruled that the US government failed to adequately assess the environmental impacts of GM sugar beets before approving the crop for cultivation in the United States. The decision could lead to a ban.
http://gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11529:judge-rejects-approval-of-gm-sugar-beets
http://bit.ly/ORsVn

+ MAUI, HAWAII: GM TARO BAN WINS INITIAL APPROVAL
A bill prohibiting GM taro (taro is a traditional and sacred food plant) in Maui, Hawaii, received approval from the Maui County Council.
http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/523846.html?nav=10

+ BIG ANTI-GM PROTEST IN GERMANY
Thousands of protesters took to the streets against GM on September 13 in the southern German town of Ulm.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11495:big-anti-gm-protest-in-germany
http://tiny.cc/rkC83

+ INDIA: BIG ANTI-GM PROTEST BY FARMERS
There was a big anti-GM rally by farmers at Jabalpur, one of the largest cities in the State of Madhya Pradesh, calling for the state to go GM-free and stop GM crop trials. Farmers' leader Ishwar Tripathi told the crowd that "agriculture and seeds have become the medium to enslave Indian farmers and we should resist this at all costs".
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11550:farmers-in-big-protest-rally-in-india
http://bit.ly/bobMM
Pictures
http://twitpic.com/jttbe
http://twitpic.com/jtsf6

+ INDIA: PROTESTERS BURN EFFIGY OF GM PROMOTER
In a protest demanding an end to trials of all GM crops in the state and in Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in particular, a group of consumers, students and activists burned an effigy of GM foods promoter and Punjab Agricultural University vice-chancellor Dr MS Kang instead of that of the demon Ravana, as is the Hindu custom. PAU reported that at the time of the protest Dr Kang was away on an official trip to the USA (perhaps partying in Monsanto’s home town of St Louis?).
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11542:protesters-burn-effigy-of-gm-promoter
http://bit.ly/zvzlx

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OCTOBER
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+ WORLDWIDE PROTESTS AGAINST MONSANTO, GMOs
Groups affiliated to La Via Campesina - the international movement of peasants, small- and medium-sized producers, landless, rural women, indigenous people, rural youth and agricultural workers, carried out a Global Day of Action against Monsanto on 16 October 2009 with protests taking place in at least 20 different countries as "an overwhelming expression of outright rejection of Monsanto and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), in the name of food sovereignty."
http://www.viacampesina.org/main_en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=797&Itemid=1

+ IRELAND ADOPTS GM-FREE ZONE POLICY
The Irish Government will ban the cultivation of all GM crops and introduce a voluntary GM-free label for food - including meat, poultry, eggs, fish, crustaceans, and dairy produce made without the use of GM animal feed.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11575:ireland-adopts-gm-free-zone-policy
http://bit.ly/1uJKkS

+ PAKISTAN: FARMERS SAY NO TO GM RICE
On October 15 2009, the Lok Sanjh Foundation and the Pakistan Dehqan Assembly organized a conference on rice and the food crisis, focusing on small farmer livelihoods. More than 600 farmers, tenants, landless workers and partner organizations participated. Farmers at the conference stressed that GM crops and seeds should be banned in Pakistan. http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11624:farmers-in-pakistan-qnoq-to-gm-rice
http://bit.ly/1mBqeB

+ SOUTH AFRICA REJECTS GM POTATOES
The South African government rejected the Agriculture Research Council's (ARC's) application to commercialise GM potatoes, saying it was concerned about its safety and economic effect. The African Centre for Biosafety's director Mariam Mayet said, "This is probably the most significant victory of my career. For a pro-genetically modified government to refuse a commercial application on safety grounds is quite groundbreaking." South Africa is the main GM supporter in Africa with most countries opposed to the use of GM crops.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11604:government-rejects-qsuper-spudsq
http://bit.ly/3PaQbM

+ SCIENTISTS AND OTHERS TELL PRESIDENT OF MEXICO: NO TO GMOs!
Mexicans are urging the president of Mexico to protect the country's indigenous corn (maize) varieties by halting the rushed release of GM corn. Activists also draped Mexico's Independence Monument in black to protest trial GM corn plantings.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11628:scientists-tell-president-of-mexico-no-a-los-transgenicos-
http://bit.ly/y4JG1

+ AFRICAN GROUPS RISE AGAINST USE OF GMOs AND "BIOFUELS"
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11631:south-rejects-gm-food-and-farming
http://bit.ly/1nLORQ

+ THE SOUTH REJECTS GM: MULTIPLE ITEMS
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11631:south-rejects-gm-food-and-farming
http://bit.ly/1nLORQ

+ INDIA: GM EGGPLANTS (BRINJAL) PUT ON ICE
Stiff opposition from activists persuaded the Indian government to put off commercial release of the country's first GM food crop, despite clearance from the nation's biotechnology regulator. The 14 October ruling by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) granted permission for Indian farmers to grow a GM aubergine (brinjal). But barely 24 hours later, Jairam Ramesh, India's minister of environment and forests, said that permission for its cultivation will be given only after consulting "all stakeholders". Ramesh says that the ministry will seek public comments until the end of the year and that he "will have a series of consultations with scientists, agriculture experts, farmers' organizations, consumer groups and NGOs" in January and February 2010 before deciding whether to go forward.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11602:transgenic-aubergines-put-on-ice
http://bit.ly/3Sjvfk
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4641818.cms

+ INDIAN STATES REVOLT OVER GM EGGPLANTS
6 Indian states have expressed opposition to Bt brinjal. The first to object was the state of Madhya Pradesh, where Dr Ramakrishna Kusmariya, Minister for Farmer Welfare and Agriculture Development of the Government of Madhya Pradesh said Bt brinjal would not be allowed. He said: "GM crops are the latest version of the way East India Company colonized India in the past; these seeds will destroy Indian farming and enslave farmers."
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11629:another-indian-state-says-qnoq-to-bt-brinjal
http://bit.ly/nH19z
http://bit.ly/1zvTkg

+ AUSTRALIA: MAJOR GRAIN BUYERS SNUB GM CANOLA
Major canola purchasers CBH and Elders refused to buy GM canola this season, in a nod to the market sensibilities of major customers in Europe and Japan. GM lines are selling at a discount.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11583:major-grain-buyers-snub-gm-canola
http://bit.ly/IOjYs

+ UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR (ON RIGHT TO FOOD) CONDEMNS PATENTS ON SEEDS
Speaking to reporters at Headquarters today, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food warned that increasing dependency on commercial seed varieties monopolized by a few very powerful multi-national companies could severely impact small farmers in developing countries. Olivier de Schutter raised his concerns about increased monopolization of seeds through patents during a press conference on his report to the General Assembly.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MUMA-7X33KR?OpenDocument

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NOVEMBER
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+ EUROPEAN MP AVOIDS JAIL FOR GM ATTACKS
Former French presidential candidate Jose Bove avoided time in prison and was allowed to keep his job as a European MP for his involvement in an attack on GM crops in 2006. Prosecutors had called for Bove to spend 8 months in jail and be banned from public office for 4 years for helping to destroy more than 2,000 tonnes of GM corn in the Gironde. But a court in Bordeaux revised the sentence to one year suspended, with a fine. Bove will be allowed to keep his seat in the European parliament, where he is vice-president of its agriculture committee. Bove has been charged for 25 separate attacks since 1976. No GM crops are being grown commercially in France, after the government banned the only strain of GM corn under cultivation, Monsanto's MON810.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/11/26-5

+ FRANCE OUTLINES PROPOSALS FOR GM-FREE LABELS
The French government's advisory council on biotechnology outlined rules for a voluntary GM-free labelling system in a new report for meat and dairy products where animals are not fed on GMOs. There is already mandatory labbelling for GM foods in the EU.
http://bit.ly/7sk3sg

+ EUROPE REJECTS GM CORN
A GM corn has been withdrawn from Europe because of safety concerns. Monsanto has pulled its commercial development application for high lysine LY038 corn, originally intended only as feed for animals, after the European Food Safety Authority questioned the safety studies conducted by the company. Rather than conduct additional research as the European authority requested, Monsanto decided to abandon its bid to introduce the corn to the European market.
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/HighLysineGMMaize.php
http://bit.ly/QkafP
Sidney Morning Herald pieces
http://bit.ly/37Iidq
http://bit.ly/11JAle
Expert alleges systematic use of wrong controls and potential for toxins:
http://bit.ly/2yZh9g (listen or read)
Time to replace the regulators says former GM scientist
http://bit.ly/1TXQ31

+ CHEMICAL COMPANIES FINED FOR CARTEL
The EU hit a division of BASF with a hefty fine.
http://bit.ly/1ZBusK (video clip)

+ INDIA: BIG PROTEST AGAINST BT BRINJAL
A large number of consumers, farmers, doctors and students with placards denouncing GM crops and food gathered in Ludhiana, Punjab under the banner of "Alliance for GM-free and safe food Punjab". The protesters demanded a ban on Bt brinjal.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11670:bt-bri njal-clearance-ignored-dissenters
http://bit.ly/YlPfJ

+ 10 REASONS TO SAY "NO" TO BT BRINJAL!
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/11765-ten-reasons-to-say-no-to-bt-brinjal
http://bit.ly/5Xm3mt

+ LEADING SCIENTIST CALLS FOR GM FREEZE
Dr Pushpa Bhargava, the scientist appointed by India's Supreme Court to the country's apex GM regulatory body, the GEAC, called for a freeze on GM crops on biosafety and health grounds in a hard-hitting article for the Indian press.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11645:leadin g-scientist-calls-for-gm-freeze-
http://bit.ly/SQZTd

+ VETERAN WINS GROUNDBREAKING CLAIM FOR AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE
A US veteran has won what's thought to be the first Veterans Administration claim for exposure inside the continental United States to Agent Orange.
http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/11/veteran-wins-groundbreaking-claim-for-age nt-orange-exposure-at-georgia-military-base.html
http://bit.ly/3rvGCK

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DECEMBER
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+ AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION OPPOSES GM HORMONE
The American Public Health Association (APHA) has decided to oppose the use of growth hormones in beef and dairy production. This would include Monsanto/Eli Lilly’s GM bovine growth hormone rBGH. APHA is the oldest and largest association of public health professionals in the world, representing 50,000 professionals nationwide. APHA’s resolution follows an official position statement released last year by the American Nurses Association opposing rBGH.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11815:-american-public-health-association-opposes-gm-hormone
http://bit.ly/6w6vqI

+ $2 MILLION VERDICT AGAINST BAYER FOR GM CONTAMINATION OF RICE
Bayer CropScience must pay for losses sustained by two Missouri farmers when an experimental GM rice the company was testing cross-bred with their crops, a federal jury ruled. In the first two cases of hundreds due to go to trial, a St. Louis jury awarded two Missouri farmers almost $2 million in compensatory damages, which, according to their lawyer was almost all the farmers claimed.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11792:bayer-verdict-shows-gm-trials-must-be-stopped
http://bit.ly/8VIwhI