French government sticks to ban on cultivating MON810 GM maize

Belgium/Brussels - EU Commission: Ban illegitimate. Surveyor controversy in France.

Does GM maize cause impotence? EFSA experts voice doubts

Italy/Parma - EFSA disputes the results of the Austrian long-term feeding study with GM maize. Futher data is needed.

Approval of genetically modified plants in the EU: No major changes for the time being

Belgium/Brussels - The Council of EU Environment Ministers has adopted the resolution on plant genetic engineering. Risk assessment guidelines: general revision by 2010. - Regional bans on cultivation: only on scientific basis

10th global meeting of biosafety researchers in Wellington, New Zealand

250 participants from 34 countries are discussing research outcomes on the environmental safety of genetically modified plants

“GM maize causes impotence” Or: How a scientific study is used for political motives.

Austria/Vienna - Long-term feeding trial with mice: Fewer offspring in the third and fourth litters. Scientists warn against hasty generalisations.

EFSA: “No new evidence to justify a ban on cultivation.”

Italy/Parma - EFSA opinion on the ban on cultivating MON810 maize in France – new studies on GM maize Bt11 and 1507: EFSA reaffirms risk assessment

Nobel Prize for fluorescent protein

Sweden/Stockholm - Wide range of applications: In biosafety research projects the GFP gene is used as a test system.

BMBF: New safety research projects on GM crops

Germany/Berlin - 23 new research projects with a focus on environmental impacts of genetically modified Bt maize

A new pest for maize farmers: Pest control with side-effects

Germany - The number of pests found is increasing. - Incorrect treatment of the maize seed causes bee deaths.

Bt maize pollen poses no risk to green lacewings

Switzerland/Reckenholz - Scientists at the Swiss research institute Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon (ART) have carried out the first research on adult green lacewings to see whether they are harmed by ingesting Bt maize pollen.

Genetically modified oilseed rape in Canada: Taking stock after ten years of cultivation

Whilst in Europe a debate is still raging about the coexistence ability of GM crops, and of oilseed rape in particular, in recent years the majority of Canadian farmers have opted in favour of growing GM rape.

France plans to overhaul approval procedures for GMOs

Belgium/Brussels - Having passed a new genetic engineering act at the end of May, France now wants to re-open discussions on European approval procedures.

Bt maize: less pest damage, fewer mycotoxins

Germany/Nürtingen - Effective measures to combat pests often have a positive side-effect in that they also reduce mycotoxin levels. - The finding from a trial series in Germany is confirmed by an international metastudy.

Guidelines on the utilisation of genetic resources

Germany/Bonn - At the UN Biodiversity Conference in Bonn it was resolved that the international community would agree on a fair sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources by 2010.

Ten years of Bt maize cultivation: Horizontal gene transfer of no significance

France/Lyon - Scientists from France and Switzerland have been studying soil bacteria from a field where genetically modified Bt maize has been growing for 10 years: transgenic plants play no part in the spread of antibiotic resistances.

DLG Field Days: Maize plots destroyed

Germany/Buttelstedt - On the night of 19 May, numerous maize plots were destroyed on the site of the DLG Field Days exhibition in Buttelstedt near Weimar. The action was evidently meant to target genetically modified maize.

Difficult compromise: Basic decision on genetic engineering liability

Germany/Bonn - Tiny steps: The UN Biosafety Conference in Bonn brought only a small compromise. The fact that failure was averted is seen as success. - Critics demand stop to genetic engineering and biofuel.

UN conference discusses liability rules

Germany/Bonn - The fourth UN conference on biological safety (MOP 4) began in Bonn. Representatives from 147 nations discusses liability rules.

Back to EFSA: Decision on cultivation approval delayed

Belgium/Brussels - The European Commission has delayed a decision on cultivation approval for two genetically modified maize lines and the Amflora potato. They intends to follow a quick approach for introducing thresholds for GM plants.

“The cultivation trial was hands-on science”

Germany/Nürtingen - Students campaign for independent research at Nürtingen-Geislingen University - GMO Safety spoke to Kathrin Mendler, spokesperson for the student campaign.