| | 20/September/23
| | GM photosynthesis-enhanced crops might need more irrigation Prof Steve Long of the University of Illinois says that photosynthesis in current varieties of crops, like wheat and soybeans, has barely improved in decades. He is principal investigator and director of a project called Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (Ripe), which aims to genetically engineer plants to increase their yields by improving their ability to photosynthesise. But Matthew Paul, principal research scientist at Rothamsted Research, suggests that increasing leaves' photosynthetic ability could simply result in smaller leaves, and that high rates of photosynthesis could mean more water loss, meaning plants would need more irrigation. He adds, "For any GM or gene editing approach to have widespread impact it would need to be reproduced in varieties grown in different regions. Subtleties of expression control and interaction with genetic background of each variety will make this tricky." BBC News Bayer/Monsanto Roundup lawsuit update The last few months have been busy for Bayer/Monsanto’s legal team and Roundup lawsuits. The US Supreme Court refused to review a $39 million Roundup settlement regarding cancer warnings on Roundup; the latest Roundup cancer trial is underway in Missouri and south of the border; and a US dispute settlement panel challenges Mexico’s plans to ban GMO corn. The $39 million settlement covers just one of several Roundup class action lawsuits filed by various consumer groups seeking damages, even if they haven't been diagnosed with any specific injury. This is the third time the Supreme Court has declined to review a Roundup decision. In addition, on September 13, opening statements in the latest trial accusing Bayer/Monsanto that its Roundup causes cancer took place in Missouri state court. Mark McCostlin alleges he developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2017. At first McCostlin and his wife didn’t connect Roundup with his cancer, until he sought legal help in 2019 and learned about the link between glyphosate exposure and this type of cancer. His lawsuit claims, like countless others, that Bayer-owned Monsanto knew about this link but chose not to disclose the Roundup cancer risk to the public. Instead, it chose not to harm its sales of the herbicide. Lawyersandsettlements.com Glyphosate in the EU up to 2034? The EU Commission's proposal to renew the authorisation for the herbicide glyphosate is published today. The proposal is for 10 years, so if a qualified majority of Member States agree, glyphosate use in the EU would be allowed until 2033. This would be in stark contrast to the will of Europeans. Five years ago 1 million citizens formally asked for a ban and a recent IPSOS opinion poll in 6 EU countries shows that only a mere 14% of citizens agree with prolonged use. Meanwhile, there are serious concerns about the safety assessments by EU Chemical Authority ECHA and Food Safety Authority EFSA. Top scientists explained serious flaws and shortcomings in the assessment in a hearing in the EU Parliament, for glyphosate as well as the formulation product MON 52276 and its ingredients. PAN Europe says a series of EFSA findings make glyphosate re-approval opposed to EU law. The EU Member States will discuss the proposal this Friday and vote on October 12. Pesticide Action Network Europe At behest of industry group, province un-published maps identifying glyphosate spraying locations At the behest of an industry group, the government of Nova Scotia de-published maps identifying glyphosate spraying locations — because protesters were successfully blocking aerial spraying. Halifax Examiner (paywalled) 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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