Robert Arnason
Viewpoint: ‘There are still some people out there screaming about gene edited crops, but that opposition is getting weaker’
The amount of money and human resources directed at gene edited crops is staggering, says Kevin Folta, a University of ...
Canada poised to encourage gene-edited crops as Health Canada updates plant breeding regulations
Health Canada has finalized a decision that should pave the way for crop breeding innovation in Canada. After years of ...
Can CRISPR gene edited seeds be grown organically? Organic farmers and advocates are split
The International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) said, in a paper, that “new genetic engineering technologies… are not compatible ...
GMO crops and glyphosate use can offer carbon sequestration benefits, Canadian study suggests
University of Saskatchewan research has concluded that genetically modified canola and the use of glyphosate have increased carbon sequestration in ...
Are bees disappearing due to ‘climate chaos’? Out of 250 bumblebee species around the world, only a few species are in danger
It’s easy to find... articles on the internet which claim that bumblebees and wild bees will be extinct in 20 ...
Changing course, Health Canada finds neonicotinoid pesticides ‘not a threat’ to aquatic insects
In 2018, Health Canada proposed to phase out all agricultural uses of thiamethoxam, a Syngenta product, and clothianidin, a Bayer ...
Gene-edited crops ‘safe for human consumption and the environment,’ Health Canada finds
Health Canada is proposing new rules to deal with plant breeding innovation, including gene-edited crops. To develop the new guidelines, ...
Foods made from gene-edited wheat may contain lower levels of potentially carcinogenic chemical acrylamide
Burnt bread contains a compound known as acrylamide, a chemical that can cause cancer. The darker the toast, the more ...
Viewpoint: Europe can’t produce enough food if it cuts use of farm chemicals but opposes gene editing
Europe is asking its farmers to use fewer pesticides and less fertilizer, while still producing the same amount of food ...
Canadian glyphosate-cancer lawsuits against Bayer may proceed regardless of US settlement
.... [T]he agreements, between Bayer and numerous law firms in America, don’t apply to potential class action lawsuits in Canada, ...
As CRISPR crops become more common, don’t throw GMOs under the bus, scientists warn
Farmers and scientists may be tempted to throw transgenic crops in the trash. The technology, which has provided benefits to ...
With consumers still fearful of synthetic chemicals, biotech firms spend billions on biopesticide development
Major players like Bayer and start-up companies are spending billions to identify fungi, bacteria and organic compounds in plants that ...
EU neonic insecticide ban cut UK canola production from 1.8 million acres to 1.3 million annually
In 2012, U.K. farmers seeded about 1.8 million acres of oilseed rape [canola]. But over the last eight years, acreage ...
Glyphosate harms soil microbes? USDA research challenges common criticism of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide
There are dozens of conspiracy theories about glyphosate. One of those theories goes something like this: glyphosate, the active ingredient ...
General Mills urges suppliers to cut glyphosate use, citing growing consumer pesticide fears
General Mills, like all companies, needs happy and satisfied customers. That’s why it’s asking suppliers, farmers who produce oats, wheat, ...
Consumer-focused CRISPR-edited crops may be key to building public trust in biotech
Gene editing has the potential to change agriculture, but only if consumers believe it’s a beneficial technology....The best way and ...
Booming sales suggest non-browning Arctic apple could be breakthrough product, overcoming anti-GMO fears
Jack Bobo doesn’t hold back when talking about the Arctic Apple. He believes the non-browning apple could change how people ...
Pro-farming social media campaigns haven’t changed consumer opinion on GMOs: Here’s why
It happens at almost every farm meeting in Canada. Someone gets up from their chair, walks over to the podium ...
Will Canada rethink its proposed ban on neonicotinoid pesticides?
Health Canada scientists have been studying water monitoring data, from across the country, and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency may ...
Viewpoint: Biotech industry must invest more in public outreach, or risk losing GMO debate to activists
Agri-food is a $110 billion industry in Canada. Canola, just canola, supports 250,000 jobs and has a $26 billion impact ...
Viewpoint: USMCA North American trade deal sets precedent for sensible worldwide biotech crop regulations
In the crop science industry, China has a reputation for taking a long, long time to approve new genetically modified ...
Did Canada overestimate the risks of neonicotinoid pesticides?
On Aug. 16, Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency proposed to ban all outdoor uses of [the neonicotinoids] clothianidin and ...
Viewpoint: Public’s support for Canadian neonicotinoid ban obscures bigger threats to bee health
On Aug. 15 .... Health Canada held a news conference to explain why it was banning neonicotinoid insecticides .... Health ...
Canada to decide on neonicotinoid restrictions this summer
The fate of two neonicotinoid seed treatments, applied to almost all of the canola and corn seeds in Canada and ...
Are farmers the key to countering glyphosate fearmongering?
The public conversation around glyphosate is all flowing in one direction. A cluster of environmental campaigners, organic food activists and ...
Non-GMO herbicide-tolerant canola to be grown in Canada this year
Supporting modern agriculture while also selling into the market for non-genetically modified food seems like a contradiction. But an American ...
Cargill tries to balance science and its embrace of Non-GMO label
About 9 months ago Cargill sent out a tweet that unintentionally offended, and profoundly offended, thousands of North American farmers ...
Viewpoint: Preaching to the choir won’t win over GMO skeptics
Editor's note: Robert Arnason is an agriculture journalist. In 2017 I interviewed about 800 to 1,200 people about agriculture, agronomy, ...
