GMO trial back

Last May, anti-GM activists raided the trial area in Leeds University where GM potatoes were being developed and destroyed the crop because EU law requires the trial location to be disclosed on a public register.

Despite warnings of a repeat performance from activists this time, 400 GM plants have been sown again in the small plot. According to scientists involved in the trials at Leeds University, development of a nematode resistant potato could save the UK potato industry more than £50 million a year and benefit farmers worldwide. The trial is now under the protection of fencing, CCTV and security guards.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) approved the trial last year after a green light from independent experts on the Advisory Committee of Releases to the Environment (ACRE). A Defra spokesperson stated, “We granted a three-year consent to Leeds University in May 2008. The application was considered by the independent Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment, which confirmed that the trial would not compromise human health or the environment. The GM potatoes won’t be used for food or animal feed, and the statutory consent specifies precautionary conditions to ensure that GM material does not persist at the trial site after the trial.” However, Peter Riley from UK based GM Freeze said that Defra’s approval to allow trials to go ahead was “very unwise and unnecessary” and could lead to GM genes leaking into the natural environment.

Scientists plan GE tomatoes  

Scientists have developed tomatoes that stay fresh without refrigeration 10 to 12 days longer than ordinary tomatoes. India is the world’s second largest producer but estimates show that 25-30 per cent of the produce is spoilt each year in the absence of refrigerated long-distance transportation. Scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, used a genetic engineering technique to silence a single gene called ACC synthase that makes a key enzyme that produces ethylene — a chemical that plays a role in the ripening of tomatoes. When the production of this enzyme is blocked, it interferes with the ethylene synthesis process and slows down the ripening process. The longer lasting tomato has already undergone tests in closed greenhouses at the IARI. Now the scientists are preparing to conduct field trials, to begin sometime in October.

Polish GMO ban declared illegal  ---

The European Tribunal of Justice has declared in Luxembourg that Poland has violated its obligation towards the EU in connection with GMO. Poland, which is fighting to become a GMO free-zone, has been in dispute with the EC over GMOs for years and finally passed a law banning GMO seeds in April 2006. The regulation prohibited GMO seeds trade, made it impossible to register GMO crop which in consequence blocked GMO cultivation. Under EU regulations, EU member states do not have the power to ban, limit or hinder GMO trade if it is allowed on the European level.

Flood-tolerant rice in the Philippines   ----

The Philippine Seed Industry Council  has approved the release of the first flood tolerant rice variety in the country. Flood tolerant NSIC Rc194 is IR64 infused with submergence tolerance gene from an Indian rice variety, FR13A. The new rice variety is developed through conventional back crossing breeding methods. Submarino 1 has the same yield performance as IR64.

Research to improve verification of GMOs  -----

The German Federal Bureau of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) and the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) are collaborating on a two-year R&D project ‘GMOseek’ to develop new procedures and strategies for screening GMOs in food, feed and seed. The improved process will enable simultaneous analysis of several probes based on a number of varying parameters. Five research and analytical laboratories in Belgium, Germany and Slovenia and Joint Research Centre of the EC are participating in the project.

Vaccine from tobacco plant  -----

Scientists have used a new vaccine production technology to develop a vaccine for norovirus, a dreaded cause of diarrhea and vomiting. Also called “cruise ship virus,” this microbe can spread like wildfire through passenger liners, schools, offices and military bases. The new vaccine is unique in its origin — it was “manufactured” in a tobacco plant using an engineered plant virus. This plant biotechnology opens the door to more efficient, inexpensive ways to bring vaccines quickly to the public, especially critical in times when viruses mutate into unpredictable new strains.