Agricultural Laws & Regulations
Viewpoint: Conservatives say UK could break from ‘outdated’ EU GMO, CRISPR regulations if they sweep ’Brexit election’
If the UK replaces the EU's overly cautious biotech rules with a pro-innovation scheme, it could become a true global ...
New Zealand mulls change to strict biotech crop rules as GMO ryegrass shows promise in field trial
While New Zealand has not yet approved the release of genetically modified crops, its agricultural research agency’s principle scientist has ...
French seed firm strikes gene editing licensing deal, despite CRISPR’s uncertain future in EU
Despite the ongoing legal uncertainty over the future of new plant breeding innovation in Europe, US agricultural company Corteva Agriscience ...
South Australian Parliament rejects second bid to rescind state’s GMO crop ban
A second attempt by South Australia's Liberal government to lift a longstanding ban on genetically modified crops has failed. After ...
‘Natural health’ and conspiracy sites exploit social media to fester opposition to GMO crops. Here’s a study about what can be done to stop it
The unsatisfactory answer to 'How do we control the spread of disinformation?" may be, "We don't know yet." ...
Austria’s January 2020 glyphosate ban halted on technical grounds
An Austrian ban on the weedkiller glyphosate, a substance that has long been disputed in Europe and beyond, can’t take ...
France bans 36 glyphosate weed killers, citing products’ potential to damage DNA
French health and environment agency ANSES said on [Dec. 9] it was banning glyphosate-based weedkillers that represent most of the ...
EU votes to ban insecticide chlorpyrifos, citing brain damage risk to children
A majority of EU countries voted to ban chlorpyrifos, an insecticide deemed unsafe for human health by the EU’s food ...
Glyphosate-cancer trials postponed while Bayer, plaintiffs negotiate potential $8-$12 billion settlement
Germany’s Bayer has agreed with plaintiffs to postpone its next two U.S. lawsuits over the alleged cancer-causing effects of its ...
EU CRISPR-edited crop rules still unclear, a year after landmark court ruling
After the controversial European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling in 2018 that organisms obtained by new plant breeding techniques (NBTs) ...
Viewpoint: USDA bioengineered food labels could clear up GMO confusion—if consumers educate themselves
In this day of ready-to-eat, highly processed food, it is understandable that consumers want to know what is in their ...
Viewpoint: Pest resistance to GMO crops is a real threat, but no reason to avoid biotechnology
Central to the criticism of genetically modified crops is the fear that weeds and pests may develop resistance .... The ...
European Union green lights imports of eight GMO crops
[Nov. 28], the [European] Commission authorized eight Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), all for food/feed uses (maize MZHG0JG, maize MON 89034 ...
Viewpoint: How a small group of scientists and pliable media created a ‘catastrophe narrative’ that hurts bees and farmers
The scientists who glommed onto the “bee-pocalypse” narrative never bothered to go back and correct the record ...
South Australia’s leadership split over decision to lift GMO crop ban
The Opposition [Dec. 3] voted against Primary Industries Minister Tim Whetstone’s legislative bid to scrap the GM ban passed by ...
Blight-resistant GMO potatoes show promise in field trials
A genetically modified potato with improved tuber quality and resistance to the devastating disease late blight has progressed successfully through ...
CRISPR-edited pigs could blunt swine fever epidemic threatening China’s food supply
Inside a fortresslike megafarm on the outskirts of Beijing, dozens of pink and black pigs forage and snooze, unfazed by ...
3 German science institutes say CRISPR-edited plants not GMOs, call for new EU biotech crop rules
The EU science community continues to put pressure on regulators to reform Europe's genetic engineering law. On [Dece. 4] ...
Podcast: How activists and politicians derailed South Australia’s attempt to embrace GMO crops
Activists in Australia are manipulating politicians with fear and doubt to restrict farmer choice ...
Thailand Industry Minister threatens legal action to block glyphosate ban
Industry Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said on [Dec. 3] he would counter-sue any organizations that bring a threatened lawsuit against him ...
Uganda faces heavy losses without GMO banana, economist warns
A leading Ugandan economist is warning of heavy financial losses among banana farmers if they don’t soon adopt a genetically ...
EU may block Austria’s proposed glyphosate weed killer ban
Austria's government appeared to cast doubt [December 2] on whether a total ban on the controversial herbicide glyphosate would be ...
China cleaning up 25 million acres of polluted farmland to meet soaring food demand
China has shut more than 1,300 heavy metal enterprises since 2016 as part of a long-term plan to curb widespread ...
Oxford researchers: German study warning of insect declines lacks robust evidence
Sampling in Germany, Seibold et al. present an interesting and impressive study of arthropods in grassland vegetation and those in ...
Is there a place for CRISPR gene editing in organic farming? Many farmers say ‘yes’
Denying ourselves these benefits to protect distorted ideas about what's 'natural' is nonsensical ...
Recent deforestation, agriculture intensification may accelerate biodiversity declines, study warns
Biodiversity across the globe could be in a worse state than previously thought as current biodiversity assessments fail to take ...
Pesticide makers want EU chlorpyrifos insecticide ban halted for lack of ‘sound evidence’
Agri-chemical manufacturers are putting pressure on the EU to prevent a ban of two disputed pesticides that damage the brain ...
Zambian food makers directed to label GMO products
Zambia’s National Biosafety Authority (NBA) has directed food producers to clearly label products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) so that ...
