| | 06/February/25
| | Why Big Agri wants to call new-generation GMOs anything but that New genomic techniques, new breeding techniques, gene editing, precision breeding — these buzzwords may sound like winning moves in Scrabble, but they are mainly confusing for many of us. And make no mistake, they were designed for that very purpose, writes Mute Schimpf of Friends of the Earth Europe in a super-clear short article that deserves to be circulated far and wide. She continues, "In reality, they quite simply refer to a new generation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Calling them 'new GMOs' would have been transparent, but such clarity would likely have sparked widespread public resistance to the European Commission’s legislative proposal to deregulate them. The deliberate use of confusing and blurry concepts discourages informed debate, leaving citizens sidelined and journalists reluctant to dig deeper." EU Observer Thousands condemn US and Canada attempt to force Mexicans to eat GMO tortillas Following the trade dispute panel’s ruling that its restrictions on GMO corn violate the US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement, an internationally-supported statement signed by 10,268 individuals and 698 organisations (GMWatch among them) stands with Mexico in its defence of food sovereignty, public health, environmental integrity and Indigenous rights. As Friends of the Earth US demonstrated in its formal scientific comments to the USMCA trade tribunal, Mexico has ample cause for concern about the safety of GMO corn given the population’s large daily consumption of minimally processed corn products such as tortillas. Health risks linked to GMO corn and the herbicides it’s engineered to withstand include reproductive, developmental, neurological, metabolic, microbiome and GI tract-related harms. The petition asserts that Mexico’s democratically elected government should have the right to take measures to protect its people, local farmers, economic development and the environment from the risks posed by GMO corn imported from the United States. Friends of the Earth Expected ban on Mexican GM corn fetches praise — and worry over imports This month, Mexico’s two legislative houses are expected to approve an amendment that will prohibit the cultivation of transgenic corn in the country’s constitution, a historic decision that farmers’ organisations and leaders of the national agricultural industry are applauding — though not fully celebrating. Experts argue that the amendment acts solely as a formalisation of an existing ban, issued in 2013, that already outlawed the practice in Mexico. They say that the new legislation, while a positive step, comes up short in offering more protections to small and Indigenous farmers trying to keep genetically modified seeds imported from the US from pollinating their land and crops. “Unfortunately, what we’re seeing is that native varieties of corn are now very contaminated by transgenic seeds and that the spread has advanced,” said Tania Montserrat Téllez Serrano, coordinator of political impact at the civil society organisation Semillas de Vida. “It is principally Indigenous communities that have conserved the diversity of our native corn and seeds, which are passed down by families and communities to harvest the crop for consumption. The risk is that the imported genetically modified seeds will be integrated into these communities and that the native varieties will be lost.” Mongabay Bill shielding pesticide manufacturers from cancer lawsuits advances in Iowa Senate Iowans facing severe illnesses such as cancer would be restricted from suing pesticide manufacturers for failing to warn of health and safety risks on their products' labelling under a bill advancing through the Senate. Lawmakers in a subcommittee advanced Senate Study Bill 1051 2-1, which would protect pesticide manufacturers from litigation if they have "sufficient warning" product labels that comply with federal regulations. Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, said "It's a disgrace" and it's shameful for advocates of the bill to say it's a simple fix to a problem. He said the discussions in the Legislature should be centred around Iowans, not corporations. "Why is Iowa going to be the guinea pig? Why is Iowa with No. 2 in cancer and growing going to be on the cutting edge of this saying, 'Hey, we're good with this, as long as EPA is good,'" he said. Des Moines Register Glyphosate herbicides: Safer than table salt or deceptively toxic? – Prof Michael Antoniou's inaugural lecture Yesterday Michael Antoniou, whose group at King's College London has shown exposure to realistic levels of glyphosate-based herbicides like Roundup can cause gut microbiome dysfunction, compromised gut integrity, and fatty liver disease, gave his inaugural lecture as professor of genetics and molecular toxicology. He summarised his group's work in his lecture titled, "Glyphosate herbicides: safer than table salt or deceptively toxic?" @GMWatch on X The CRISPR companies are not OK Hype, scientific setbacks, and growing investor demands have humbled the gene editing industry. STAT (paywalled) We hope you’ve found this newsletter interesting. Please support our work with a one-off or regular donation. 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