Latest Resources

Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) submission to ARIPO, AU and UNECA for urgent inter...

This submission contains several grounds upon which AFSA is seeking urgent interventions by ARIPO, the AU and the UNECA to urgently revise the draft ARIPO PVP Protocol to protect farmers rights and the right to food. Read more.

ACB’s comments on the COMESA Harmonisation of seed trade regulations

ACB’s comments on the COMESA Harmonisation of seed trade regulations. Read here.

Letter to the UN secretariat on 2,4D

Request for intervention on GMOs likely to have adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity; GM soybean tolerant to 2,4-D, glufosinate and glyphosate (DAS-44406-6).

Letter to Minister of Health requesting investigation into GM maize and associated pesticides as ...

Elsewhere in the world this crop is grown primarily for the global livestock sector. However, in South Africa some 77% of our maize production is genetically modified and provides the nation with their daily intake of carbohydrates. The debate on the long term health impacts of GM foods has raged around the globe for almost […]

Comments on COMESA’s Draft Policy on Commercial Planting, Trade and Emergency Food Aid Invo...

On the 8th and 9th May 2012 COMESA held a meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, to review a draft policy on the regulation and trade of GMOs for the region. While the Biotech Industry was very well represented at the meeting, civil society was completely left out of the process. This policy is being drafted behind […]

Title Submission to the Dept of Justice on the Promotion of Access to Information Amendment Bill-...

Following the promulgation of the Genetically Modified Organisms Act in 1997, numerous GMOs have been approved in South Africa. The 1997 GMO Act was amended in 2006, and the new regulations took effect on the 26th of February 2010. This submission sets out details of our problems in accessing information from government with regard to […]

ACB submission to the Secretariat of the Biosafety Protocol – discussions on socio-economic...

28 May 2011 The Secretariat of the Biosafety Protocol is engaging in discussions on socio-economic provisions related to decision-making and GMOs (Article 26). The ACB has submitted several studies from South Africa to enrich this discussion and has applied to participate in online discussions. These documents highlight South African experiences regarding the rejection of GM […]

Opposition to Pioneer Hi Bred’s merger with Pannar, submitted to Competitions Commission

As a stakeholder, the ACB was requested by the Competition Commission to make written comments on the proposed merger between Pioneer Hi Bred and Pannar, which we submitted to the Commission on the 21st of October, 2010. In this submission, we raise the following further pertinent issues: We provide in several annexes, the seeds under […]

ACB Submission to the Department of Trade and Industry on the Intellectual Property Amendment Bil...

The Intellectual Property Amendment Bill aims to strengthen intellectual property rights relating to traditional performances, traditional work, traditional terms of expressions and traditional designs. The Bill has been widely condemned as sounding the death knell for traditional knowledge as it attempts to provide protection for Traditional Knowledge (TK) within a western intellectual property regime, originally […]