| | 17/February/23
| | For the first time, genetically modified trees have been planted in a US forest GM poplars genetically engineered to grow wood faster and absorb carbon may be the first GM trees planted in the US outside of a research trial or a commercial fruit orchard. Living Carbon, a San Francisco-based biotech company, produced the poplars, which have been planted in Georgia. The Global Justice Ecology Project, an environmental group, has called the company’s trees “growing threats” to forests and expressed alarm that the federal government allowed them to evade regulation, opening the door to commercial plantings much sooner than is typical for engineered plants. “I’m very shocked that they’re moving so fast” to plant large numbers of modified trees in the wild, said Anne Petermann, the organisation’s executive director. The potential risks to the greater ecosystem needed to be better understood, she said. The New York Times (paywalled; you may be able to access the archived version here) New research shows Brazil’s second largest biome being devastated by intensive farming New research published by the UK's Institute of Development Studies shows how the Brazilian Cerrado, one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, is being exploited by agribusiness using increasingly violent strategies, including arson attacks against traditional communities. A vast savannah zone in the centre of the country, the transformation of the Cerrado region has been driven by intensive [GM] soybean and livestock production for export. It has come at a high cost. Besides the environmental impacts of land clearance and the removal of native vegetation, the expansion of the frontier has exacerbated poverty and injustice, deepening the historical inequality of land distribution and wealth. Institute of Development Studies Further restrictions announced on dicamba spraying as drift damage escalates On February 16, the US EPA announced label amendments that further restrict the use of over-the-top (OTT) dicamba herbicides on GM dicamba-tolerant crops in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and South Dakota. The move was an effort to mitigate off-target drift of dicamba, which is severely damaging non-GM crops and wild plants. Agricultural economist Dr Charles Benbrook commented on Twitter, "More dicamba restrictions, more disappointment as the number of drift and crop damage goes up again, despite another layer of restrictions. And as dicamba damage abates, here comes 2,4-D to take its place. Oh boy." DTN Progressive Farmer and Charles Benbrook on Twitter @chuckbenbrook Canada: Enviro Committee reverses Senate decisions on public participation in GMO assessments Liberal and Conservative members of the House of Commons Environment Committee have voted to remove Senate amendments to Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Bill S-5 that would have required meaningful public participation in assessments of genetically engineered animals and an evaluation of whether there is a demonstrable need for such an organism. “We are dismayed that the government and official opposition have blocked strong, clear guidelines for meaningful public participation, which is a foundational part of any review and approval process in a democracy,” says Mark Butler, senior advisor with Nature Canada. “We are concerned at the overly pro-industry stance being taken by government MPs, which is not coherent with strong government commitments to protect nature and the public interest.” Nature Canada’s focus in Bill S-5 has been on protecting nature from genetic pollution and supporting Indigenous peoples in their call for respect of Indigenous rights in any assessment process for GMOs. Nature Canada Russell Brand interviews Stacy Malkan on how Monsanto/Bayer ran its science denial and disinformation campaign to defend glyphosate-based Roundup weedkillers (video) Russell Brand, the influential comedian, actor and podcaster, has featured the work of US Right to Know in his live show, Stay Free with Russell Brand. Watch Stacy Malkan’s interview with Russell Brand – it starts at 30 minutes in. Stacy discussed USRTK’s investigation into the pesticide industry and what internal corporate documents reveal about how Monsanto (now Bayer) ran its science denial and disinformation campaign to defend glyphosate-based Roundup weedkillers. She reports on these documents in USRTK’s Merchants of Poison report, written with Kendra Klein, PhD and Anna Lappé. They also discussed Stacy's reporting on Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation’s push to expand chemical-intensive industrial agriculture in Africa over the objections of African farmers’ groups and food sovereignty movements. Russell Brand on Rumble We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible by readers’ donations. Please support our work with a one-off or regular donation. Thank you! __________________________________________________________ Website: http://www.gmwatch.org
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