Latest Resources
11 September 2009
African heritage crops threatened by South African GMO decision
An Appeal Board established by the Minister of Land Affairs and Agriculture has overturned a landmark decision by a South African GMO authority on 15 June 2006, to refuse the experimentation of sorghum, a prized African heritage crop. The Council for Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR), has now been given the go-ahead to proceed with the […]
12 August 2009
Watchdog lodges Complaint against South African govt for breaking international GMO Treaty
Press release: African Centre for Biosafety 12 August 2009 The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) is a South African NGO deeply concerned with biosafety in South Africa and on the African continent. It campaigns against GMOs in food and agriculture. The ACB has today lodged a complaint to the Compliance Committee established under an international […]
10 August 2009
Pirating African heritage: the pillaging continues – Media release
The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB), a non- profit activist organization based in South Africa, has today released a report documenting 7 new cases of suspected biopiracy involving legally untenable patents/patent applications. Some patents have already been granted and others are still pending in Europe and the USA in respect of African resources ranging from […]
15 May 2009
Africa’s Green Revolution rolls out the Gene Revolution
The ‘New Green Revolution in Africa’, touted since the 1990s, was given renewed impetus two and a half years ago, when the Rockefeller and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations launched the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Although AGRA itself does not incorporate genetically modified (GM) crops in its projects, the ominous presence […]
12 September 2008
Sorghum trials permitted, 12 September 2008
AFRICAN HERITAGE CROPS THREATENED BY SOUTH AFRICA GMO DECISION An Appeal Board established by the Minister of Land Affairs and Agriculture has overturned a landmark decision by a South African GMO authority on 15 June 2006, to refuse the experimentation of sorghum, a prized African heritage crop. The Council for Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR), has […]
22 August 2008
Letter from McDonalds Restaurant re GM Potatoes
Allegedly, McDonald’s is committed to providing quality food to our customers and source our products and ingredients from the best suppliers locally and globally. In South Africa, their potatoes are sourced from McCain Foods and so we asked their Managing Director, Mr Owen Porteus, to provide us with full clarification on the use of GMO […]
13 May 2008
Geraniums Stop that Cough – Pelargonium Factsheet
Rural community of South Africa stands up against pelargonium-patents and biopiracy. The Alice community, living in the Eastern Cape area of South Africa, in close collaboration with the African Center for Biosafety and supported by the Berne Declaration (Switzerland), the Church Development Service (EED) and “Kein Patent auf Leben” (Germany), has challenged two European patents […]
5 March 2008
GM potato rejected in year of potato
The UN General Assembly has declared 2008 to be the ‘international year of the potato’. Unbeknown to the public, the South Africa government has allowed the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), supported by USAID and Michigan State University, to experiment with GM potatoes. All though South Africans on average eat 29 kilograms of potatoes a year, […]
4 March 2008
GM Potatoes face import ban & rejection
GM potatoes rejected in Year of Potato GM potatoes face import bans and rejection The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2008 to be the ‘International Year of the Potato’ in celebration of the potato – one of the world’s best loved foods. Yet, South Africa seems hell bent on messing with the humble potato. […]
27 February 2008
First GMO Seed Scandal in Africa: SA Contaminated the Continent
Seed maize from South Africa, claiming to be pure, has been found to be contaminated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The South African branch of US seed giant Pioneer Hi-Bred recently exported contaminated maize seeds to unsuspecting Kenyan farmers. The maize seeds are contaminated with a genetically engineered variety-MON810- belonging to Monsanto that has not […]