Latest Resources
5 December 2024
Ban Terbufos and HHPs or face legal action Minister Steenhuisen, says civil society alliance
17 June 2025 UPDATE: Following the South African People’s Tribunal on AgroToxins (SAPToA), which was held in March this year, the three jurors, Judge Navi Pillay, Commissioner Philile Ntuli, and Dr Sophia Kisting-Cairncross, made a presentation on highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) and other agrotoxins to the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture on 20 May. Watch the […]
5 February 2024
Game-changer for regulation of genome editing and new tech as SA’s Ag Minister overrules Industry...
PRESS RELEASE 5 February 2024 The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), welcomes the final decision taken by the South African Minister of Agriculture Ms Thoko Didiza, in terms of section 19 of the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Act of 1997, to uphold the October 2021 decision of the Executive Council (EC) that the risk assessment […]
26 July 2023
High Court Decision on GM ‘bogus’ drought tolerant maize – significant blow to advancement of env...
— Press release — On 27 June 2023, Justice Tolmay handed down her judgment on the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB)’s application to review the decisions of South Africa’s Executive Council (EC): Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Act, the GMO Appeal Board, and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which approved Monsanto/Bayer’s genetically modified (GM) […]
22 May 2023
GM WHEAT OUT OF AFRICA!
Groundswell support for rejection of GM wheat approval in South Africa Johannesburg, South Africa, May 2023 (Haga clic aquí para ver en español) (Clique aqui para ver em português) From across South Africa, the rest of the African continent, and the world, 85 organisations representing millions of small-scale farmers, workers, and consumers have strongly supported […]
3 February 2023
Landmark legal challenge against Monsanto/ Bayer’s “bogus” drought tolerant GM maize ...
In 2017, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) lodged legal proceedings with the High Court of South Africa to review and overturn the decisions of the South African Executive Council: GMO Act (EC), the GMO Appeal Board, and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, approving Monsanto/Bayer’s genetically modified (GM) drought-tolerant (DT) maize variety MON […]
10 December 2019
More poisoning of South Africa’s staple food given the go-ahead: 2,4-D GM maize varieties approved
The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) is extremely alarmed to learn that three genetically modified maize varieties developed by Corteva (new name of the Dow-DuPont merged entity) to withstand the application of the dangerous 2,4-D herbicide have been approved for general release by the Executive Council: GMO Act. This poses a grave threat to the […]
4 October 2019
Resounding no to Monsanto’s ‘bogus’ GM drought tolerant maize
Resounding no to Monsanto’s ‘bogus’ GM drought tolerant maize: South Africa’s Minister, Appeal Board and Biosafety Authority Reject Monsanto’s GM seeds Johannesburg, South Africa, 4 October 2019 After more than 10 years of battling Monsanto’s ‘bogus’ drought tolerant maize project, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) welcomes the decision by the Minister of Agriculture, Ms. […]
25 September 2019
AFRICANS REFUSE TO BE CHEMICAL DUMPING GROUND
Civil society organisations and citizens across Africa are calling upon their governments to issue an immediate ban on all use of glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs). Launched by the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) and the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), the #BanGlyphosateAfrica campaign has been endorsed by African organisations representing millions of […]
23 April 2019
South Africa’s new seed and PVP Acts undermine farmers’ rights and entrench corporate capture, co...
Press Release from the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) 23 April 2019, Johannesburg, South Africa The highly problematic new Plant Improvement Act 2018 (PIA) and Plant Breeder’s Rights Act 2018 (PBR), approved by Parliament last year, have been signed into law this March by the President, replacing the 1976 versions. Regulations are currently being drafted […]
6 February 2019
South Africa targeted for testing of risky new gene silencing technology for benefit of corporate...
The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) has lodged an objection against Pioneer Hi-Bred’s application for field trials of RNAi /gene silencing (DP-566113-9) GM maize, since the risks to the health of the environment and humans is, as yet, unknown. Just as most people were going on holiday, on 21 December 2018, Pioneer Hi-Bred advertised in […]