Latest Resources

Bioethanol-Maize / Syngenta

COMMENTS BY THE AFRICAN CENTRE FOR BIOSAFETY AND THE CENTRE FOR FOOD SAFETY (USA) Comments on Syngenta’s Application for Commodity Clearance of Genetically Modified Maize, Event 3272 African Centre for Biosafety & Centre for Food Safety, 29 May 2006 Read here. OVERVIEW Syngenta’s Event 3272 maize represents the very first genetically modified (GM) industrial crop […]

Mozambique – GMO Legislation

The proposed biosafety regulatory regime (hereafter referred to as the “draft biosafety law” or “biosafety law”) of the Republic of Mozambique consists of a draft Decree of Council of Ministers, containing the biosafety regulation and 2 draft technical guidelines for risk evaluation as well as public awareness and participation in biosafety and biotechnology related issues. […]

South Africa, Bioethanol and GMOs: A Heady Mixture

On the 12th of May 2006 Syngenta South Africa (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of Swiss chemical giant Syngenta, notified the public of its intention to seek commodity clearance for its GM maize for the use in the production of ethanol. This is the first GM application for commercial approval in the world for a non-feed, […]

South Africa – GMO Act 15

Submission To Chairpersons Of Portfolio Committees Of: Agriculture And Land Affairs, Environmental Affairs And Tourism, Science And Technology, Health, Trade And Industry, Water Affairs And Forestry, Labour Mariam Mayet, April 2006. Read here. Supported by South African Freeze Alliance on Genetic Engineering, Earthlife Africa, Safe Food Coalition, Ekogaia Foundation, Farmers Legal Action Group-South Africa, Noordhoek […]

The status of Genetically Modified (GM) pharmaceutical crop research in South Africa

Genetically modified (GM) pharmaceutical crops are crops which have been genetically engineered / modified to produce pharmaceuticals. These pharmaceuticals can be vaccines, anti-bodies or therapeutic proteins. Pharma-crops (as they are known) are a contested and little-known terrain, with remarkable benefits being claimed for them in South Africa. Other voices ask about the contamination of the […]

South Africa – GM Food Labelling Regulations

Why Do We Need To Label Genetically Modified (gm) Food Products? Facts For South African Consumers African Centre for Biosafety, Feb 2006. Read here. Critical Analysis Of South Africa’s Labelling Regulations For Genetically Modified Food, Feed And Products Derived From Gm-fed Animals Mariam Mayet, Oct 2004. Read here. Regulations Relating To The Labelling Of Foodstuffs […]

The Long, winding road to a Biosafety Protocol – a South African view

At the negotiations for the Biosafety Protocol in Cartagena, the South Africa government surprised critics by displaying a maturity and understanding of the issues and concerns facing developing countries on the question of genetically engineered organisms. This in spite of attempts by the ‘Miami group’, a negotiating group representing the largest producer nations of biotechnology, […]

Biohazard Map of GM Field Trials in SA

Now that the dust is settling after industry’s aggressive PR hype about the unsubstantiated increase in South Africa’s GM commercial plantings for 2006, we bring to you, based upon empirical data, a short briefing paper on the field trials of GMOs grown in South Africa during 2006, compiled by ACB researcher, Rose Williams. This briefing […]

Zambia – GMO Legislation

INTRODUCTION The Draft Labeling Standards are non-binding in the sense that they do not create legally binding obligations and responsibilities. As such, they are also not legally enforceable. The lack of teeth of the standards is not cured by the fact that the Zambian Bureau of Standards, a statutory body, produces the standards. However, the […]

BT Cotton

BT cotton in South Africa – the case of the Makhathini farmers – Apr 2005 By Elfrieda Pschorn Strauss, GRAIN. Read here. Global agriculture and genetically modified cotton in Africa. By Stephen Greenberg. Read here.