Latest GM & Biosafety Resources

Monsanto has responded to the ACB’s objections for the trial release of Round-up Ready Canola. You can read it here.

The ACB has come to the following conclusions about Syngenta’s application: In terms of the molecular characterisation of the event: Furthermore, it is our contention that:

In 2007 Monsanto South Africa applied for and was granted a trial release permit to conduct field trials with maize event MON87460, which has been genetically engineered for drought tolerance. Earlier this year the African Centre for Biosafety objected to a Monsanto application to import 35 hybrids for the continuation of these trials. Monsanto submitted […]

As usual, we have only been furnished with information that the developers deem to be ‘non-confidential’, so crucial data required to make a thorough independent assessment is missing. Excluded information included details of test data specific to South African growing conditions. The cauliflower mosaic virus 35s promoter (35S-CaMV) is present in GA21 x Bt11. There […]

On 20 April, Business Day carried a public notice of Monsanto’s application to the South African GMO registrar for permission to import Smartstax maize, arguably the world’s most controversial and risky commercially grown GMO. While the majority of commercially grown genetically engineered crops contain at most 3 foreign genes, Smartstax contains eight, 6 of which […]

140 groups & scientists urge Senate to oppose GM clause in Global Food Security Act 13 Apr 2010 Dear Colleagues: Today’s press release on the Global Food Security Act below, expressing the concerns of PAN, Food First, National Family Farm Coalition, the African Center for Biosafety and partners. And MANY MANY thanks to all of […]

Monsanto has been conducting field trials of drought tolerant maize in South Africa since 2007, and has recently applied to have these trials extended. Monsanto has presented the trials as forming part of the much larger Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) Initiative, of which the African Centre for Biosafety has already criticised in a […]

On 13th of December 2009, Syngenta published a public notice of their intent to apply to the GMO Registrar for a permit for the general release of genetically modified maize, GA21. Having obtained a ‘non-confidential-business-information’ version of Syngenta’s application, it is our contention that the application cannot be adequately assessed. The information provided is sketchy […]

Prepared for the African Centre for Biosafety by Dr William Stafford September 2009 Description of Application GA21 and Bt11xGA21 transgenic maize are genetically modified maize events. The Bt11xGA21 stacked maize was produced by the conventional breeding of individual GA21 and Bt11 transgenic events. GA21 maize produces a modified maize 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase enzyme (mEPSPS) that confers […]

ACB’S OBJECTIONS TO MONSANTO’S APPLICATION FOR FIELD TRIAL RELEASE OF HERBICIDE-RESISTANT CANOLA (BRASICA NAPUS RT73) Prepared for the African Centre for Biosafety by Dr William Stafford September 2009. Read here.

(Bt11xMIR162xGA21) Prepared for the African Centre for Biosafety by Dr William Stafford CONTENTS Read here.

GMOs Contribute Towards Food Crisis Read objection here.