| | 23/July/21
| | Non-GM breeding produces salt- and drought-tolerant soybeans Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have developed non-GM salt- and drought-tolerant soybeans using a combination of gene marker assisted selection and natural cross-breeding. It is no surprise that conventional breeding has succeeded where GM has failed in producing these soybeans with desirable traits, since it has has consistently outperformed GM in developing plants with tolerance to environmental stresses. GMWatch Gene editing-free seed, plant and food labelling launched in Japan Following the cultivation of gene-edited soybeans in the USA in 2018, and the distribution of its soybean oil starting in 2019, Japan initiated the distribution of the first gene-edited tomato seedlings in May of this year. Later in the year, the Japanese government announced its Green Food System Strategy, which highlights the further use of gene-editing technology to develop new varieties. In response, a collective decision was made to create the OK SEED Mark, a citizen-led voluntary system to label seeds, seedlings and foods as non-gene-edited. GMWatch Independent expert evaluations confirm that the Gates-backed Alliance for a Green Revolution has failed to help African farmers In July 2020, an alliance of five African and five German organizations published the study “False promises: The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)”. This was the first study to scientifically assess the impacts of AGRA – an agricultural alliance registered in the US, which is supported by numerous international organisations, governments in the Global North and some African governments. Central to the study was the question whether AGRA has achieved its own goals of doubling agricultural yields and the incomes of 30 million small-scale food producer households, thereby halving hunger and poverty in 20 African countries by 2020. The study’s findings clearly revealed AGRA’s failure. There is now new evidence of this failure from AGRA itself, which has been analysed by independent experts in a new report. AFSA Jennifer Kahn’s "Love GMOs" NYT article is propaganda, not journalism US Right to Know's Stacy Malkan has deconstructed Jennifer Kahn's New York Times GMO promotional article, "Learning to love GMOs". Malkan writes that the article "hews closely to agrichemical industry talking points: were it not for “fear mongering” consumers and governments insisting on transparency and safety checks, they claim, GMO technology could fulfill its 'potential'." But Malkan points out that Kahn missed decades of evidence showing that GMO crops have failed to deliver on the kinds of promises upon which she hung her story. US Right to Kow US EPA’s pesticide office – a plague on us all According to PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility), "One of the most dysfunctional branches of government we have ever encountered is the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP). This program is awash with scientific fraud, penetrated by rapidly revolving doors with industry, and infected by deep cronyism, where honest scientists are harassed, and industry hacks get promoted." PEER Genetic dreams, genetic nightmares (audio broadcast) In early 1974, responding to the public fears and their own disquiet about how fast genetic engineering techniques were developing, the scientists leading this research revolution called for a global moratorium on genetic engineering experiments until the risks had been assessed. This was followed by a historic meeting of 130 scientists from around the world in February 1975 in California. Its purpose was to decide if and how the genetic engineering research could be done safely. It was a rancorous affair but the Asilomar conference is held up as an idealistic if imperfect example of scientists taking responsibility as they developed a powerful new technology. BBC Sounds DONATE TO GMWATCH __________________________________________________________ Website: http://www.gmwatch.org
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