GE Archive

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  Organic Dairy or GE nightmare? - by frog

  
  
  
  Soil and Health pose an interesting argument about why Fonterra is trying to cripple the organic dairy industry. Fonterra’s Gutting Of Organic Dairying Is The Next Step To GE Farms. Fonterra has taken its next step towards genetically engineered pastures, with its announced scaling back of organic production by half, according to the Soil & [...] read more
  August 23, 2011 10:48 am - 28 Comments
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  43 Genetically modified foods in our food supply - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  I have just come across the latest Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) report. The report casually mentions that six new Genetically Engineered foods were approved last year. read more
  November 26, 2010 3:59 pm - 8 Comments
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  GE: Will the people’s moratorium hold? - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  I recently sent in my submission on Scion’s proposal to test 4000 genetically engineered (GE) pine trees, currently being reviewed by ERMA.  It’s been a good opportunity to reflect on this historically important issue for the Greens and see if our old arguments still hold water. Personally, GE was one of the first issues I [...] read more
  October 20, 2010 3:28 pm - 2 Comments
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  Don’t pine for our clean green brand, stop GE! - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Crown research institute Scion has applied to the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) to conduct a field test of genetically engineered (GE) pine trees on a 4 hectare site in Rotorua and the public submission process is now open. We need to keep GE in the Lab and not release modified organisms into the environment. [...] read more
  August 26, 2010 1:50 pm - 15 Comments
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  Nature 2, Monsanto 0 – GE fails again - by frog

  
  
  
  We know already that genetically modified crops do not improve yields. Surprisingly, Monsanto has admitted that one of their pest resistant cotton crops no longer resists the pests. How long did it take nature to thumb its nose at Monsanto? Monsanto’s advice to farmers? Use our Bollgard II version, it’s better. But the science doesn’t [...] read more
  March 11, 2010 10:38 am - 33 Comments
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  Failure to Yield: Evaluating the Performance of Genetically Engineered Crops - by frog

  
  
  
  As usual, the title says it all: GE crops are no where near to delivering on their promises: Failure to Yield is the first report to closely evaluate the overall effect genetic engineering has had on crop yields in relation to other agricultural technologies. For years the biotechnology industry has trumpeted that it will feed [...] read more
  April 18, 2009 8:21 am - 8 Comments
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  Another week, another GE approval - by frog

  
  
  
  There it was again this week, nestled into a little side bar on A3 of the Dom Post. “GE onion field test” Once again, while most of the media is busy watching the new masters of the Executive Wing, ERMA is quietly saying ‘yes’ to a GE future for New Zealand. It can only end [...] read more
  November 28, 2008 2:26 pm - 23 Comments
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  Genetic engineering myths - by frog

  
  
  
  Food Democracy has a quiz about genetic engineering myths that begins: Many pro-GM commentators hail the technology as the solution to the current food crisis because of its ability to reduce fertilizer use and help farmers cope with problems like drought, salinity or flooding. After 20 years of GM research, how many GM drought tolerant, [...] read more
  September 15, 2008 4:58 pm - 6 Comments
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  AgResearch applies for GE sheep, cows and pigs - by frog

  
  
  
  Genetic Engineering is back, with AgResearch making a massive application to genetically engineer a wide range of animals, plus human and monkey cells. I really thought this story would have been all over the media by now and was going to link to articles letting news agencies tell the story.  But it hasn’t yet (Except [...] read more
  August 8, 2008 3:56 pm - 37 Comments
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  USDA Suspends Pesticide Reporting to Benefit Monsanto - by frog

  
  
  
  Celsias reports that the safety of our food supply is under further threat by the USDA’s decision to stop reporting on pesticide use. On May 21, the US Department of Agriculture, or USDA, announced that it would stop its annual publication on the kinds and amounts of pesticides applied to crops in the U.S. This [...] read more
  June 23, 2008 11:30 am - 14 Comments
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  GE Rears Its Head as Saviour of World Food Emergency - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  It was to be expected, but still a shock, to find Bill Gates and the Rockefeller foundation at the conference (they weren’t excluded like the NGOs) launching a new bold sounding “Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. In partnership with various UN agencies, aimed at ‘lifting millions out of poverty and hunger by increasing [...] read more
  June 8, 2008 2:13 pm - 29 Comments
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  NZ cows eat … palm oil? - by frog

  
  
  
  For those of you who have followed the farming practices in the USA, and in particular the stories about cattle that are made to eat feed supplements rather than their genetic preference for grass, may have taken some comfort that New Zealand cows are renowned for being grass fed. Except, as it turns out, they [...] read more
  April 30, 2008 10:51 am - 6 Comments
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  GE breaks its promise - by frog

  
  
  
  The promise of GE was that it was going to feed the starving masses. Now a UN report that 400 scientists spent four years helping to write criticises GE saying it has little role to play in helping to feed the world and that scientific time and energy time instead needs to be invested protecting [...] read more
  April 17, 2008 9:59 am - 12 Comments
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  Government doesn’t care about GE Royal Commission recommendations - by frog

  
  
  
  Research organisation Sustainable Future, has just released a new report showing the Government has implemented only 20 of the 49 recommendations of the 2001 Royal Commission on Genetic Modification. The report concludes: These findings show that the New Zealand Government is not currently pursuing the strategic option of ‘preserving opportunities’ as proposed by the Commissioners [...] read more
  April 16, 2008 10:32 am - 10 Comments
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  Monsanto is $660 poorer - by frog

  
  
  
  I alluded, in an earlier post, to the legal battle between small Canadian farmer, Percy Schmeiser, who was being sued by Monsanto for having round-up ready canola on his land without having paid for them. It seems that Schmeiser did win a law case after all. It wasn’t the 1998 case for which he became [...] read more
  March 28, 2008 8:37 am - 1 Comment
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  Genetically engineered equine flu vaccine - by frog

  
  
  
  I wrote a couple weeks ago about the potential release of a live GE virus into New Zealand to cure horse flu, thinking there would be more details and discussion occurring on this issue soon thereafter. But things have gone eerily quiet. I know New Zealand’s Anti GE networks will be outraged that a live [...] read more
  March 27, 2008 2:46 pm - No Comments
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  GE pine trees attacked! - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s rather unsurprising that a well known GE trial would attract the occasional sabotage attempt. It’s a bit like streakers at the one day cricket or abusive flaming comments at Kiwiblog. You can say as much as you like that you’d really rather it didn’t happen, but it’s occurrence is now all so stereotypical that [...] read more
  January 16, 2008 2:48 pm - 15 Comments