A study with omissions

In the spring, Germany’s organic food industry association, BÖLW, collected over 100,000 signatures for a petition demanding an end to auth… more

“The pollen quantities that led to higher mortality rates in caterpillars in the laboratory were not detected in the field.”

Can butterflies be harmed by genetically modified Bt maize? This was the question that Mechthild Schuppener from RWTH Aachen University invest… more

Butterflies not at risk from Bt maize

Mechthild Schuppener of RWTH Aachen University has investigated whether the small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies could be at risk from … more

First resistant corn rootworms found in the USA

There are indications in the USA that the Western corn rootworm could develop resistance to genetically modified Bt maize. Scientists in Iowa,… more

Will it now be impossible to grow genetically modified plants outdoors?

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled last week that pollen from genetically modified (GM) plants contained in honey counts as a food ingr… more

ECJ: French ban on MON810 maize has no legal basis

New reasons need to be found to justify the ban on cultivating genetically modified MON 810 Bt maize in France. The European Court of Justice … more

Plant genetic engineering: China hesitates on the brink

China is investing more in plant biotechnology than almost any other country in the world. In 2008 the Chinese government set up a four-bil… more

Effects of Bt maize containing three Bt proteins on butterflies and moths

(2008 – 2011) RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Biology III (Plant Physiology), Worringer Weg 1, 52074 Aachen more

Effects of Bt maize on ‘stressed’ honeybees

Scientists have not so far been able to find any harmful effects of genetically modified Bt maize on healthy bees. But what happens if the ins… more

Bt plants: Good resistance management means no resistant pests

To the astonishment of many practitioners, the Bt concept is still effective 15 years after it was first commercialised. So far, hardly any… more

Coexistence

The cultivation of GM and non-GM crops within the same area Coexistence is a central principle of the European legislation on genetic enginee… more

Bees in stress test

Bees are swarming around a pot containing yellow pollen feed. The newly emerged worker bees are obviously hungry. Over the next four weeks the… more

What happens to Bt protein from GM maize when it enters the soil? (long-term monitoring)

(2007 – 2009) Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft, Institut für Pflanzenbau und Pflanzenzüchtung more

Does Bt protein from GM maize enter fields through slurry spreading?

(2007 – 2008) Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft, Institut für Pflanzenbau und Pflanzenzüchtung more

“Brutal, targeted attack”

On the nights of 9 and 11 July 2011, two field trials funded by the German Ministry of Research involving genetically modified plants were des… more

EU member states to be allowed to ban GM crops

On 5 July in Strasbourg, the European Parliament voted in its first reading in favour of a proposal that would make it possible for EU member … more

Outcrossing of GM wheat under selection pressure

Experiment Model calculations on the dispersal behaviour of herbicide-tolerant GM wheat Mathematical models were used to predict how extensi… more

Sustainability

Use of a system that is based on permanence In particular in relation to the environment the concept of sustainability encompasses three fund… more

Effects of Bt maize containing three Bt proteins on micro-organisms in the soil

(2008 – 2011) Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut (vTI - the Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries), Instit… more

“Ethical and social considerations belong in the political arena.”

In the European debate about genetically modified plants there has for some time been a call for decisions concerning the cultivation of these… more