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Featured Articles on GMO issues

Environmental impacts of genetically modified plants: A review

25 June 2017

New peer-reviewed paper draws attention to environmental problems associated with GM crops and the gaps in our knowledge of their effects

A new scientific review (abstract below) below makes some interesting points on the environmental impacts and regulatory assessment of GM plants. Here are some quotes:* “The current state of knowledge reveals that GM crops impart damaging impacts on the environment such as modification in crop pervasiveness or invasiveness, the emergence of herbicide and insecticide tolerance, transgene stacking and disturbed biodiversity.”* “Recent claims of consensus over the safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) seem to be an artificial and misguided perpetuated construct... regardless of contradictory evidences published during last three decades which lead scientific community to reconsider that the debate on this topic isn’t ‘over’ yet.”* “Current regulatory pathological and toxicological tests are confined on only one mammal and for 90 days which is insufficient and could not be generalized. So, toxicology studies should be prolonged to full life span of the test organism and other experimental mammals should also be considered for such tests.”* “Safety studies involving GM plants produced as a result of ds-RNA mediated gene silencing should be conducted and after effects of administering GM foods having artificial siRNAs must be examined on a laboratory scale especially for their unintended effects on humans.”* “Sub-lethal effects on nontarget species should be assessed for several successive generationsrather than single or two generations.”—

Environmental impacts of genetically modified plants: A review

Aristidis M. Tsatsakis, Muhammad Amjad Nawaz, Demetrios Kouretas, Georgios Balias,Kai Savolainen, Victor A. Tutelyan, Kirill S. Golokhvast, Jeong Dong Lee, Seung Hwan Yang, Gyuhwa ChungEnvironmental Research 156 (2017) 818–833http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2017.03.011

Powerful scientific techniques have caused dramatic expansion of genetically modified crops leading to altered agricultural practices posing direct and indirect environmental implications. Despite the enhanced yield potential, risks and biosafety concerns associated with such GM crops are the fundamental issues to be addressed. An increasing interest can be noted among the researchers and policy makers in exploring unintended effects of transgenes associated with gene flow, flow of naked DNA, weediness and chemical toxicity. The current state of knowledge reveals that GM crops impart damaging impacts on the environment such as modification in crop pervasiveness or invasiveness, the emergence of herbicide and insecticide tolerance, transgene stacking and disturbed biodiversity, but these impacts require a more in-depth view and critical research so as to unveil further facts. Most of the reviewed scientific resources provide similar conclusions and currently there is an insufficient amount of data available and up until today, the consumption of GM plant products are safe for consumption to a greater extent with few exceptions. This paper updates the undesirable impacts of GM crops and their products on target and non-target species and attempts to shed light on the emerging challenges and threats associated with it. Underpinning research also realizes the influence of GM crops on a disturbance in biodiversity, development of resistance and evolution slightly resembles with the effects of non-GM cultivation. Future prospects are also discussed.

Remove my clip from GMO propaganda film – Prof Marion Nestle

25 June 2017

The film "Food Evolution"’s "biases are apparent throughout but the bias against organics is particularly striking"

Arkansas Plant Board approves dicamba ban

25 June 2017

Herbicide is suspected of damaging other crops after drifting in the wind

Syngenta loses $218 million verdict in first GMO trial test

24 June 2017

Corn producers claimed contaminated crops hurt sales to China

Brazil’s GM sugarcane stirs up controversy

21 June 2017

Experts warn of lack of environmental impact studies in Brazil

Damage reports from dicamba pouring in over the last 2 weeks

21 June 2017

Supposedly drift-resistant dicamba herbicides are not drift-resistant after all

Over 1 million sign petition to ban glyphosate in EU over cancer fears

21 June 2017

People aren't fooled by the pesticide industry's lobbying efforts or the faulty science it's peddling – David Schwartz, coordinator of the European Citizens Initiative to ban glyphosate

Reuters story attacking IARC researcher is biased and selective

21 June 2017

reuters cancer agency glyphosate evidence bias

A court transcript shows that contrary to claims by Reuters reporter Kate Kelland, an IARC researcher did not unfairly withhold data on glyphosate – and presents further evidence of a cancer link with the chemical

Scientist, GEAC have misled country: Mustard expert

18 June 2017

Sharad Pawar, a retired scientist who has been involved in mustard research for the past 17 years, has came down heavily on the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee for having given a wrong and biased decision on GM mustard

Monsanto’s war on science – hard-hitting investigation

18 June 2017

Monsanto sign

France’s leading daily details Monsanto’s brutal multi-pronged assault on the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)

January 18, 2016

Published by Farmers Relief at January 18, 2016