2009: Truth out on GMOs

NOTE: Here's GMWatch's latest review of the big GM stories of the last 12 months. See also our commentary on 2009:
A fight to the death
And our previous review
GM bans, protests, legal actions
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TRUTH OUT ON GMOs

INTRODUCTION: 2008 was the year in which Monsanto really set out its stall. The company pledged not just to double existing crop yields by 2030 but to help farmers do it while using less chemicals, water, land and energy.

While speculators, sucked in by the fever generated by the ethanol boom and the resulting food crisis, may have lapped this up, others were highly sceptical. Soybean genetics expert at the University of Nebraska, James E. Specht, commented: "The hype-to-reality ratio of [Monsanto's yield-doubling claim] is essentially infinity."

2009 turned out to be the year in which Monsanto's GM hype really took a battering, with the truth emerging more clearly than ever about the severe limitations and risks of GM crops, and the dubious "science" and "regulation" used to support them.

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JANUARY
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+ U.S. AND BRAZILIAN FARMERS TURNING THEIR BACKS ON GM SOY
Several reports emerged from the US at the beginning of the year saying US farmers were beginning to turn their backs on GM soy. "We've been hearing about farmers returning to conventional soybean varieties in 2009 to lower input costs and take advantage of overseas demand for non-GMO beans," said Dr David Wright, Director of Research for the North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP). Farmers in Brazil's Mato Grosso, the country's top soy state, were also said to be shunning GM soy varieties in favor of conventional seeds due to poor yields.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/SoybeanVarieties/soybeans/prweb1833374.htm
http://www.seedtoday.com/articles/The_Search_for_Non_GM_Soybeans-69327.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/internal_ReutersNewsRoom_BehindTheScenes_MOLT/idUSTRE52C5AB20090313

+ BT COTTON MORE EXPENSIVE
Delta Farm Press reports that US cotton insect losses in 2008 were up from 2007 and that the cost of Bt cotton exceeded the cost of foliar application in 2008. Bt cotton acreage decreased for the second straight year in 2008, although this also reflects an overall decline in cotton acreage.
http://deltafarmpress.com/cotton/beltwide-insects-0123/

+ NEW STUDY: "BIOFUELS" THE WORST OPTION
A study which ranked the desirability of 11 possible future energy sources found "biofuels" to be the least desirable. Ethanol use was found to cause the most climate damage, air pollution, damage to land and wildlife, and chemical waste. Monsanto has been at the forefront of those lobbying for ethanol use.
http://www.scidev.net/en/news/biofuels-bottom-of-the-heap-in-impact-study.html

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FEBRUARY
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+ BIOTECH INDUSTRY FAKES GROWTH OF GM CROPS IN EUROPE
On the eve of the release of annual industry-sponsored (ISAAA) figures for GM crop plantings, a new report revealed the failure of GM crops around the world, and how statistics showing their increase in Europe had been manipulated. The report by Friends of the Earth International showed how the European biotech lobby group EuropaBio inflated figures of GM planting areas by almost a quarter to mask an actual decline. In reality the planting of GM crops in Europe had decreased every year since 2005 with an overall drop of 35 per cent.
Full report:
http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/Who_Benefits/full_report_2009.pdf
Executive Summary:
http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/Who_Benefits/Exec_summary_2009.pdf
EU briefing:
http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/Who_Benefits/EU_briefing_2009.pdf
US version of the report:
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/WhoBenefitsPR2_11_09.cfm.
GM Freeze Briefing: International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) - Global Status Reports on GM Crops
http://www.gmfreeze.org/uploads/ISAAA_Q&A_2009.pdf
Reuters article: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE51A2US20090211

+ CHAPELA VINDICATED: NEW STUDY AGAIN CONFIRMS GM CONTAMINATION OF MEXICAN MAIZE
Genes from GM corn have escaped into wild varieties in rural Mexico, a new study said. The study confirmed the findings of David Quist and Ignacio Chapela, who back in 2001 came under attack by the biotech industry and its supporters after reporting finding transgenes from GM corn in traditional varieties in Oaxaca, Mexico.
http://tiny.cc/DE01p
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121577870/abstract
See "Immoral Maize" for the definitive account of the Chapela affair
http://tiny.cc/mvCFC

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MARCH
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+ GERMANY - OFFICIAL REPORT WARNS AGAINST RISKS OF GM
Germany's Federal Office for Nature Conservation (BfN) has published an official report warning against the risks of GM. According to the president of BfN, Prof Dr Beate Jessel, "The cultivation of transgenic plants is highly controversial and sustainable use has not yet been proven. Alternative acceptable solutions are already widely. Support for them must be promoted in research, education and politics."
Article in German: http://www.bonn.de/rat_verwaltung_buergerdienste/presseportal/pressemitteilungen /06534/index.html

+ POPE'S DOCUMENT CRITICAL OF GM FIRMS
The Pope published a working document for the Synod on Africa which was highly critical of GM firms.
http://www.imu.ie/index.php/community-forums/groups/viewdiscussion?groupid=36&to picid=16
Full text of the Pope's working document: http://www.zenit.org/rssenglish-25422

+ GM RICE A THREAT TO FOOD SAFETY IN BRAZIL - STATE RESEARCH BODY
For the first time in Brazil, the state research institute on agriculture (Embrapa) raised its voice against the cultivation of a GM variety. At a public hearing about the GM rice "Liberty Link", produced by Bayer, Embrapa classified the approval of this seed as a "threat to the food safety in Brazil".
http://www.valoronline.com.br
http://tiny.cc/FJH73
http://db.zs-intern.de/uploads/1237978142-EmbrapaGERice.pdf

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APRIL
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+ GM FAILS TO BOOST CROP YIELDS
An important new report from Dr Doug Gurian-Sherman, a former biotech specialist with the EPA who is now with the Union of Concerned Scientists, showed that "despite 20 years of research and 13 years of commercialization, genetic engineering has failed to significantly increase US crop yields." The report reviewed the literature on yield for the primary GM food/feed crops, soybeans and corn (maize). Dr Gurian-Sherman concluded, "Traditional breeding outperforms genetic engineering hands down." The report suggested that it makes little sense to support GM at the expense of technologies that have proven to substantially increase yields, especially in many developing countries. Recent studies have also shown that organic and similar farming methods that minimize the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers can more than double crop yields at little cost to poor farmers in developing regions.
http://tiny.cc/gNgsB
Failure to Yield - Frequently Asked Questions: http://tiny.cc/IcVzQ
Download the new report Failure to Yield: Evaluating the Performance of Genetically Engineered Crops
http://tiny.cc/eqZST

+ U.S.: MORE CROP PRODUCERS PLANT NON-GM SOY
Cheaper seed and lucrative premiums for non-GM soy drove more crop producers to plant non-GM soybeans in 2009, said Jim Beuerlein, an Ohio State University Extension agronomist.
http://tiny.cc/O4jNw
http://www.wcpn.org/WCPN/news/26357/
The same move away from GM soy occurred in Brazil:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/behindTheScenes/idUKTRE52C5AB20090313

+ CONSUMERS STILL DON'T WANT GM WHEAT
http://www.canadiancattlemen.ca/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=98938&PC=FBC&issue=04182009

+ SUPERWEED EXPLOSION TYHREATENS MONSANTO'S HEARTLAND
weed specialist Stanley Culpepper from the University of Georgia reported that 100,000 acres in the southern U.S. state of Georgia are severely infested with pigweed and that 29 counties had confirmed resistance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide that is used on the company's GM Roundup Ready crops. "Farmers are taking this threat very seriously." Culpepper told FRANCE 24. "Just to illustrate how aggressive we are, last year we hand-weeded 45% of our severely infested fields," said Culpepper, adding that the fight involved "spending a lot of money." In 2007, 10,000 acres of land were abandoned in Macon country, the epicentre of the superweed explosion, North Carolina State University's Alan York told local media. Culpepper has said resistant pigweed, in particular "could be a real threat to future cotton production in our region”¦ The troublesome weed can quickly grow more than 8 feet tall with a thick stalk and suck valuable nutrients from nearby plants. It can clog a cotton picker, too, making it hard to harvest the crop." The problem of glyphosate resistance is almost entirely attributable to the use of Monsanto's Roundup Ready crops.
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/10923-superweed-explosion-threatens-monsanto-heartlands
http://bit.ly/6f6SW1

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MAY
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+ REPORT FOR GERMAN PARLIAMENT SAYS GMOs WON'T SOLVE HUNGER
A study for the German parliament shows that the use of GM in agriculture does not bring any macro-economic benefits. In fact, the use of GM crops incurs extremely high costs in the entire food chain, which would impact heavily on developing countries.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4231194,00.html
Download the report (in German): http://www.boelw.de/uploads/media/BOELW_Schadensbericht_Gentechnik090318.pdf
Listen to the report (in German):
http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_single_mediaplayer/0,,4231012_start_0_end_0_type_audio_struct_3176_contentId_4231194,00.htm

+ NEW DATABASE ON LOBBYING AND SPIN LAUNCHED
A new online database on lobbying, PR and spin was launched. SpinProfiles is a massive international undertaking written collaboratively with wiki technol. It's aimed at tackling PR and propaganda activities on a wide range of issues, including GM. The main website is at http://www.spinprofiles.org
The GM portal is at http://www.spinprofiles.org/index.php/GM_Watch:_Portal
For the SpinProfiles project to succeed it will need the support and involvement of concerned citizens from around the world. If you'd like to get involved, contact claire.robinsonATspinprofiles.org

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JUNE
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+ CLAIMED SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS ON GM AN ILLUSION
SEED magazine published a series of articles about the roots of Europe's supposed "scientific disconnect" over GM crops. One of the contributors, Tom Philpott of GRIST, pointed out in a well-documented article that no "global scientific consensus" has formed around the value of GM crops. Nor did Philpott skate around the problem of ill effects of GM foods on lab animals.
http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/scientific_flip-flop/#philpott

+ GM CROPS, POVERTY AND HUNGER - NEW REPORT
An important new report by Dominic Glover, published by the UK's Institute of Development Studies, reviewed the literature published in peer reviewed journals on Bt cotton. It concluded:
*Bt cotton has had only a marginal impact on pesticide use
*Bt cotton has been shown in some studies to have less impact than farmer training
*Bt cotton's impacts are not, as has been claimed, necessarily significant, consistent or even positive.
Download the report: Undying Promise: Agricultural Biotechnology’s Pro-Poor Narrative, Ten Years On
http://www.ids.ac.uk/go/news/gm-crops-and-the-global-food-crisis

+ NEW FILM: BIG AG SHUDDERS AT FOOD, INC.
In the wake of the US release of the film Food, Inc., an expose of industrialized food production, corporations and corporate-supported groups from Monsanto to the National Chicken Council created sections of their websites in an attempt to counter the facts that the film is bringing to light.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-crossfield/food-inc-gets-rave-review_b_214766.html
Around the Web:
Official Food, Inc. Movie Site - Hungry For Change?
http://www.foodincmovie.com/
YouTube - Food, Inc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqQVll-MP3I
Apple - Movie Trailers - Food, Inc.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/foodinc/
Food, Inc. Review: Rolling Stone
http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/24044311/review/28631104/food_inc

+ MONSANTO CUTS 900 JOBS
Declining sales figures led Monsanto to plan to eliminate 900 jobs. The seed giant announced the cuts at the same time as reporting a 14 percent decline in fiscal third-quarter earnings. Later in the year it was forced to make far deeper cuts (see SEPTEMBER).
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11253:monsantos-earnings-down-900-job-cuts
http://bit.ly/6Pk4Qs

+ MONSANTO INDIA'S DISMAL FINANCIAL FIGURES
Monsanto India Ltd reported dismal financial figures in 2009.
http://www.commodityonline.com/commodity-stocks/Monsanto-India-tanks-9-on-dismal -Q4-results-2009-06-11-18571-3-1.html

+ DUPONT AND BASF IN LEGAL BATTLE
There were various turf wars between the GM giants, including DuPont and BASF suing each other, charging patent infringement over GM herbicide tolerant technology.
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0125324620090601
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11421:monsanto-chief-accuses-rival-dupont-of-deceit
http://tiny.cc/J6z8N
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11425:monsanto-dupont-square-off-in-turf-war
http://tiny.cc/V6hHm

+ AUSTRALIA: REPORT SHOWS NO FINANCIAL ADVANTAGE IN GM CANOLA
A cross-industry information paper on GM canola was released which showed that, despite non-GM yields being affected by inadequate weed control, if technology access fees were included, there is no financial advantage in using Roundup Ready canola. In addition, the report showed there may be health risks to livestock that eat GM canola.
Report available at: http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/objtwr/imported_assets/content/fcp/gmcrops/ministerial_gmo_industry_reference_gm_canola.pdf

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JULY
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+ SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN CONDEMNS RESTRICTIONS ON RESEARCH ON GM CROPS
In a strongly worded editiorial Scientific American noted "it is impossible to verify that genetically modified crops perform as advertised. That is because agritech companies have given themselves veto power over the work of independent researchers. "The editorial went on to note that, "food safety and environmental protection depend on making plant products available to regular scientific scrutiny" and it called on the industry to "immediately remove the restriction on research from their end-user agreements. Going forward, the EPA should also require, as a condition of approving the sale of new seeds, that independent researchers have unfettered access to all products currently on the market."
http://www.gmwatch.org/component/content/article/11311-scientific-american-condemns-restrictions-on-gm-research
http://bit.ly/52W1sN

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AUGUST
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+ 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

+ NON-GM SOYBEAN ACREAGE UP
US farmers planted one million more acres of non-GM soybeans in 2009 than 2008. The percentage of farmers growing GM soybeans decreased - the first drop in plantings of GM soybeans since 2000.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11357:non-gm -soys-million-acre-increase-in-2009-
http://tiny.cc/lMqAe

+ JIM HIGHTOWER SLAMS GM TREES
Jim Hightower is a U.S. national commentator who broadcasts daily radio commentaries carried by more than 150 commercial and public stations. He was twice elected Texas Agriculture Commissioner. In August Hightower lambasted the USDA’s casual rubberstamping of AborGen's GM eucalyptus trees, which have been planted across several states.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11432:jim-hightower-slams-gm-trees
http://tiny.cc/kiaSe
TAKE ACTION against ArborGen's plan to plant 260,000 GM trees:
http://globaljusticeecology.org/stopgetrees.php

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SEPTEMBER
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+ JOURNAL DETAILS THE INTIMIDATION OF RESEARCHERS CRITICAL OF GM
An article on the journal Nature Biotechnology reported how researchers whose studies find crops might harm the environment attract a hail of abuse from pro-GM scientists. Comments from scientists and journal editors included, "The repeated, and apparently orchestrated, ad hominem and unfounded attacks by a group of genetic engineering proponents has done little to advance our understanding of the potential ecological impacts of transgenic corn." And, "Part of what exasperates me is that they have declared themselves to be the experts in this field, and forcefully present themselves as the ultimate arbiters of truth”¦ I do have problems with the tactics of the large block of scientists who denigrate research by other legitimate scientists in a knee-jerk, partisan, emotional way that is not helpful in advancing knowledge and is outside the ideals of scientific inquiry."
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11463:the-intimidation-of-researchers-whose-papers-suggest-concerns-about-gm
http://bit.ly/1sNyMZ

+ MONSANTO FORCED TO MAKE DEEPER CUTS
Monsanto announced plans to make deeper work force cuts than previously announced in June, saying it would reduce its staff by about 8 percent to cut costs. In June, Monsanto had said it was cutting about 4 percent of its staff, or about 900 jobs. The new target of 8 percent indicated the St. Louis-based company was cutting about 1,800 jobs.
http://money.aol.com/article/jobs/monsanto-plans-deeper-job-cuts/664182

+ HUGE PROBLEM OF WEED RESISTANCE
During and after the summer there were more reports of big problems for GM Roundup Ready crops. According to one report, in July, "'We began hearing horror stories all over the state. Man, there are ankle-high weeds out there that Roundup won't even touch. It hit us in the face between rains.' There are now documented cases in the state where 4 times rates of Roundup won't even clean up pigweed problems. And even if it did, asks Smith, 'Who can afford a 4 times rate?' There are implements running through fields that haven't been used since the early 1990s. Producers have to do it just to survive. 'They're now out pulling, or chopping, weed escapes. But next year with these resistant weeds taking over so fast? It'll be a whole new ballgame."
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/11516-roundup-resistance-threatens-no-till
http://bit.ly/YEyhv

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OCTOBER
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+ GM INDUSTRY'S STRONG ARM TACTICS WITH RESEARCHERS EXPOSED IN NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
An important article in this normally staunchly pro-GM journal exposed how the biotech industry has the power to shape the information available on GM crops. Their ownership of the proprietary technology allows them to decide who studies the crops and how. "Industry is completely driving the bus," according to Christian Krupke, an entomologist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The article also noted that the industry was perfectly ready to use legal threats against researchers to keep that control.
http://www.gmwatch.org/component/content/article/11573-gm-industrys-strong-arm-tactics-with-researchers-nature-biotechnology-
http://bit.ly/8F30pM

+ MONSANTO FOUND GUILTY IN FALSE ADVERTISING ROW
France's highest court ruled that Monsanto had not told the truth about the safety of its best-selling weed-killer, Roundup. The court confirmed an earlier judgment that Monsanto had falsely advertised its herbicide as "biodegradable" and claimed it "left the soil clean". The company was fined 15,000 euros (GBP13,800; $22,400). In October Monsanto reported a fourth quarter loss of $233m (GBP147m), driven mostly by a drop in sales of its Roundup brand.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11584:monsanto-guilty-in-qfalse-adq-row
http://bit.ly/1gTZoj

+ LATIN AMERICA: GM SOY DEVASTATION INCREASINGLY EXPOSED
In Latin America, GM soy production has caused the destruction of 21 million hectares of forest in Brazil, 14 million in Argentina, and 2 million in Paraguay. It has also caused violent land grabs, displaced indigenous peoples, dramaticaly increased the use of Monsanto's toxic Roundup weedkiller, caused major health problems, and created vast unsustainable GM monocultures - mainly to produce cheap animal feed. But increasing attention was brought to the issue in 2009 thanks to a series of hard hitting articles, reports and videos, as well as the protests around the Round Table on Responsible Soy.
http://www.gmwatch.eu/component/content/article/11626-gm-farming-in-latin-america-resources
http://bit.ly/8qIom5

+ NEW REPORT SLAMS EFSA COMPLACENCY AND BIAS
The GM lobby has long claimed that, unlike in the U.S., GM food safety risk assessments in the EU are overly rigorous. But an important new report showed that this is completely untrue. The report, called "Risk Reloaded - Risk analysis of genetically engineered plants within the European Union", exposed the failings of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA): its assumptions of GM safety, its inadequate terms of reference, its defective science, its acceptance of poor submissions and experimental reports from GM applicants, and its strong bias towards the GM industry. http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11618:risk-reloaded-important-new-report
http://bit.ly/3xUobg
Read the report: Risk Reloaded - Risk analysis of genetically engineered plants within the European Union”¨
http://www.testbiotech.org/sites/default/files/risk-reloaded_engl.pdf
Bullet point summary of EFSA food safety requirements from the report: http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11622:risk-reloaded-bullet-point-summary
http://bit.ly/24nLnT

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NOVEMBER
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+ GM CROPS CAUSE BIG JUMP IN PESTICIDE USE - REPORT
The rapid adoption by US farmers of GM corn, soybeans and cotton has promoted increased use of pesticides, an epidemic of herbicide-resistant weeds, and more chemical residues in foods, according to an important new report. The report, Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use: The First Thirteen Years, by Charles Benbrook, said research showed that herbicide use grew by a massive 383 million pounds from 1996 to 2008, with the increase accelerating spectacularly in recent years, as the problem of herbicide-resistant weeds escalated. http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11682:gm-crops-cause-big-jump-in-pesticide-use-report
http://bit.ly/3Grl8Z
Executive summary of report, Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use: The First Thirteen Years:
http://www.organic-center.org/reportfiles/EXSUM_13Years20091116.pdf
Full report: http://www.organic-center.org/reportfiles/13Years20091116.pdf
Extracts from the report summarized by GMW: http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11696:cherry-picking-new-report-on-gm-and-pesticides
http://bit.ly/5N9uYn
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11699:key-findings-from-gm-and-pesticides-report
http://bit.ly/5gbyR3

+ ATTEMPT TO COUNTER BENBROOK REPORT FALLS FLAT
The report stirred a lot of interest and some attempted rebuttals. All of the latter, from the Biotechnology Industry Organisation down, drew heavily on the findings of the UK consultancy PG Economics Ltd. For instance, an article published by the pro-GM lobby group Truth About Trade states, "It's possible to point to statistics that say the exact opposite [to the Benbrook study]. PG Economics Ltd., a well-regarded English consulting firm, recently issued its own findings and said that the use of pesticides on global biotech acreage has dropped almost 800 million pounds--or nearly 9 percent--during the same period." But PG Economics' reports on GM crops are among those that Benbrook carefully demolishes in his report, citing data from independent sources to back up his case. Benbrook concludes that PG Economics uses "creative - and highly questionable - methodological strategies" in compiling its industry-commissioned reports.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11752:benbrook-on-pg-economics-methodological-creativity
More comment on Benbrook and PG Economics: http://gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11753:more-on-pg-economics-methodological-creativity
http://bit.ly/7x6oSE

+ INDIA: BT BRINJAL APPROVAL "RIGGED"
The Indian TV news channel CNN-IBN said it had proof the Indian Government "rigged" regulatory approval for Bt brinjal (aubergine/eggplant). The controversy centred on the expert report which recommended approval of Bt brinjal.
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/11768-more-on-indias-gm-scandal
http://bit.ly/5Hgwh8
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/11767-withdraw-qriggedq-bt-brinjal-report
http://bit.ly/7qmKLs
Must-see video of exclusive news report by CNN-IBN on the "rigged" recommendation for approval of Bt brinjal:
http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/106477/bt-brinjal-tests-inadequate-how-safe-is-it.html
http://bit.ly/6z1Wca

+ PEOPLE WANT INDEPENDENT INFORMATION ON GM FOODS
People want truly independent information to help them make up their minds about GM foods, according to a new study for the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Shoppers also want a clear labelling system to tell them if the food they buy is GM or if products like milk and meat were produced from animals given GM feed. The new research suggests consumers do not trust all the information they receive about GM products and are suspicious of the Government's stance.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11751:people-want-independent-info-on-gm-foods
http://bit.ly/5SWIoA

+ JAPAN BUYS MORE NON-GM SOYBEANS
Sales of non-GM soybeans will increase to 200,000 metric tons in 2012 from 120,000 tons this year to meet demand in countries including Japan, South Korea and Spain.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=ajrskqBtk_xI

+ 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

+ STOP SELLING OUT SCIENCE TO COMMERCE
An important new report was published by Scientists for Global Responsibility, called Science and the Corporate Agenda. The report considers how the commercialisation of science "brings with it a wide range of detrimental effects, including bias, conflicts of interest, a narrowing of the research agenda, and misrepresentation of research results. It examines these effects across five sectors: pharmaceuticals; tobacco; military/defence; oil and gas; and biotechnology." In an article for New Scientist, the report's authors, Stuart Parkinson and Chris Langley, say it "exposes problems so serious that we can no longer afford to be indifferent to them".
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11651:stop-s elling-out-science-to-commerce
http://bit.ly/2QvHAm
Report available here:
http://sgr.org.uk/SciencePolicy/CorporateInfluence.html
GM-related extracts from the report:
http://bit.ly/1NWQKs
Great quotes on same issue:
http://www.bangmfood.org/quotes/24-quotes/16-commercial-influence-on-science
http://bit.ly/KaVLf

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DECEMBER
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+ MONSANTO USING ITS MARKET POWER TO HURT FAMERS - NEW REPORT
A report from the Farmer-to-Farmer-Campaign shows that Monsanto not only completely dominates the market for GM traits in corn, soy, and cotton but that it is using its market power to raise prices to farmers and limit their access to non-GM seeds.
http://farmertofarmercampaign.com/Out%20of%20Hand.FullReport.pdf
http://bit.ly/8oPLpT

+ MONSANTO’S AGGRESSIVE SEED BUSINESS TACTICS REVEALED
Confidential contracts detailing Monsanto's business practices revealed how the world's biggest seed developer is squeezing competitors, controlling smaller seed companies and protecting its dominance over the multibillion-dollar market for GM crops, an Associated Press investigation found. The revelations came as Monsanto's business strategies and licensing agreements are being investigated by the US Department of Justice and at least two state attorneys general, who are trying to determine if the practices violate US antitrust laws.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11805:monsantos-aggressive-seed-business-tactics-revealed-in-confidential-contracts
http://bit.ly/60263X

+ NEW STUDY SHOWS "STRONG EVIDENCE" OF BT RESISTANCE
Bt is the built-in pesticide genetically engineered into a number of GM crops. A newly published study led by a pro-GM researcher shows "strong evidence" of Bt resistance from careful analysis of 41 reports from 5 continents. Among other things the researchers discoved through a Freedom of Inofrmation request to the EPA that Herculex GM corn had to be pulled from Puerto Rico after the discovery of widespread insect resistance. The resistance was so bad that Dow and Pioneer not only had to withdraw their GM (Bt) seed from the market but advise growers to spray pesticides instead.
http://gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/11814-new-study-shows-qstrong-evidenceq-of-bt-resistance
http://bit.ly/7r1XhH

+ SUPERWEEDS CONTINUE TO EXPAND
The continuing expansion of glyphosate-resistant weeds is thought to now affect an estimated 7.5 million U.S. row crop acres in corn, soybeans and cotton - the main U.S. GM crops. And it's no longer just a problem in the South. In December the evolution of two new glyphosate-resistant weed populations - common waterhemp and giant ragweed were confirmed in the U.S. agricultural powerhouse of Iowa. These are two of the most yield-robbing weeds for Iowa producers.
http://blog.cornandsoybeandigest.com/briefingroom/2009/12/10/weed-resistance-spreading-rapidly-%E2%94%80-two-new-species-confirmed-in-iowa/

+ HUGE PRICE RISES FOR GM SEEDS - NEW REPORT
A new report showed that GM seed prices in America have increased dramatically, compared to non-GM and organic seeds, cutting average farm incomes for US farmers growing GM crops. In the 25 years from 1975 through 2000, soybean seed prices rose a modest 63%. Over the next ten years, as GM soybeans came to dominate the market, the price rose an additional 230%. The $70 per bag price set for Monsanto’s RR 2 soybeans in 2010 is twice the cost of conventional seed and reflects a 143% increase in the price of GM seed since 2001. Maize (corn) growers planting the new GM variety SmartStax, will pay more than twice as much as farmers planting conventional non-GM seeds. This is almost four times more than conventional farmers paid just ten years earlier. Today, GM cottonseed costs $700, a staggering six times the price of non-GM cottonseed. From 1975 to 1996, the price of cottonseed only doubled, but in the GM cotton era, it has risen from $73 to $589. In a recent speech Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant said the company's goal was to double gross profits in 2012, from 2007 levels. He said that increases in the price of new GM RR 2 soybeans and GM SmartStax maize hybrids will create about one-third of the company's gross profit growth in 2012. The report concludes: "At the present time there is a massive disconnect between the sometimes lofty rhetoric from those championing biotechnology as the proven path toward global food security and what is actually happening on farms in the U.S. that have grown dependent on GM seeds and are now dealing with the consequences."
"The Magnitude and Impacts of the Biotech and Organic Seed Price Premium" by Dr Charles Benbrook - the full report can be downloaded here
http://www.organic-center.org/reportfiles/Seeds_Final_11-30-09.pdf
Summary of report by GMWatch: http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11799:new-evidence-shows-huge-price-rises-for-gm-seed-summary-by-gmwatch
http://bit.ly/6nKROZ

+ GM "NO SURE FIX" FOR NITROGEN POLLUTION
After more than a decade of effort, the biotechnology industry has yet to produce any commercial crops engineered to reduce nitrogen fertilizer pollution, while traditional breeding and other methods have improved the nitrogen use efficiency of wheat, rice, and corn by about 20 percent to 40 percent, according to a report released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11798:gm-no-sure-fix-for-nitrogen-fertilizer-overload
http://bit.ly/5krm1y
For FAQs and to download the new report, “No Sure Fix: Prospects for Reducing Nitrogen Fertilizer Pollution through Genetic Engineering”, go to: http://bit.ly/5iraTl

+ STUDY PROVES THREE MONSANTO GM CORN VARIETIES ARE TOXIC
A new European study revealed unintended toxic effects in rats linked with GM maize consumption. In rats fed three commercialized GM maize varieties (NK603, MON810, MON863) which are present in food and feed across the world, the liver, kidneys and other organs were affected. The study was published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11808:study-proves-three-monsanto-corn-varieties-noxiousness-to-the-organism
http://bit.ly/53TFCR
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11800:three-approved-gmos-found-unsafe
http://bit.ly/4WDyBg
Read the paper here: http://www.biolsci.org/v05p0706.htm

+ EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS DISAPPEAR WITHOUT EXPLANATION FROM GM FEEDING TRIAL
A feeding study in Germany in which MON810 GM corn was fed to cattle over a period of 25 months was shown to be worthless. The results were promoted to the media as showing "that feeding with transgenic maize does not have any impact on the food chain" and that "transgenic maize has no impact on lactating cows." But in clear breach of the researchers’ original protocols, only 18 of the 54 cows used in the trial were fed for the full 25 months; the rest were changed at unspecified times and for unspecified reasons, without this being revealed in the English-language paper published afterwards. Only nine of the cows were kept on the GM diet for the full research period. The data relating to the cows that survived the whole trial were aggregated with data for replacement animals. The exact reasons for the removal of other animals were not given.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11797:german-mon810-feeding-trial-results-are-worthless
http://bit.ly/4zGTyW

+ NEW WEBSITE HELPS SHOPPERS AVOID GMOs
The U.S. group Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT) launched a new website for U.S. consumers who want to avoid buying products containing GMOs.
http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com

+ MODIFIED OPINIONS
A big Royal Society of Chemistry debate on GMOs in London had the opposite effect to the one intended, according to an editorial in The Guardian: "Afterwards the feeling was that it was a win on points for the GM sceptics. This is not what was meant to happen”¦ The winning argument ”¦ was not really about science at all, but about the ethics of a method of increasing yields that delivers such power into the hands of the multinationals."
http://gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11780:food-sustainability-modified-opinions
http://bit.ly/5paiym

+ MONSANTO WINS ANGRY MERMAID AWARD
The winner of the Angry Mermaid Award 2009 for worst corporate lobbyist at the Copenhagen climate talks was Monsanto, with 37 per cent of the total vote. 10,000 people voted. Monsanto was nominated for promoting its GM crops as a solution to climate change and pushing for its crops to be used as "biofuels". The expansion of GM soy in Latin America is contributing to major deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11806:monsanto-wins-worst-lobbying-award
http://bit.ly/85Nz4H