The ACB is committed to dismantling inequalities in the food and agriculture systems in Africa and the promotion of agro-ecology and food sovereignty.

Press Release from the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), Trust for Community Outreach and Education (TCOE) and the Commercial & the Stevedoring, Agricultural and Allied Workers Union (CSAAWU)

Thursday, 25 May 2017

The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) has published a briefing paper today titled, ‘South Africa and 2,4 D GM maize: Biosafety, Socio economic risk’, exposing ongoing risky technological developments with South Africa’s staple food – maize. It exposes that plans are underfoot to commercially grow genetically modified (GM) maize resistant to the war chemical, 2, D (event DAS-4Ø278-9). According to the briefing, US chemical giant Dow Agrosciences who is merging with another US chemical giant Dupont, has been conducting field trials of 2,4 D GM maize in SA since 2015 and which trials are still underway. These field trials involve GM maize tolerant to 2,4-D and the 2,4-D tolerant trait stacked with the glyphosate tolerant and/or Bt. insecticidal toxins. They follow the approval by the South African GMO authorities of 2,4 D GM maize in 2012 for import as food, feed and processing, despite extensive public outcry and it not being grown anywhere in the world commercially.
The ACB’s report points to numerous worrying shortcomings in Dow’s scientific

The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) has lodged an appeal to the High Court of South Africa to overturn decisions of the GMO authority, the GMO Appeal Board and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, to commercialise Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) drought tolerant (DT) maize seed. More than 25 000 concerned citizens have signed petitions and submitted objections in support yet the South African government ignores the pleas of its people.

The appeal raises a number of irregularities with the decision-making processes, which ACB argues flout South Africa’s Constitution and laws prescribing administrative justice and procedural fairness. ACB is alleging mere rubbing stamping of Monsanto’s claims that its patented GM DT trait (MON 87460) confers drought tolerance. Monsanto’s claims of drought tolerance are disputed based on sound science; a single gene (cspB) does not confer efficacious drought tolerance and is yet another risky and novel gene introduced into the staple food of millions of people in South Africa in the name of corporate profits.

The ACB and various organisations and members of the public have since 2008, resisted Monsanto’s unproven claimed benefits of drought tolerance. The Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project has specifically come under close scrutiny.