Latest Resources
15 February 2012
Unlabelled food tests positive for GM
OUTRAGE AS GM LABELLING LAWS FLOUTED IN SA The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) is outraged that several food products, including baby cereal, maize meal consumed as a staple, a renown and heavily promoted dietary supplement for active sports people and wheat free cereal, have tested positive for GM- yet are all unlabelled. From the […]
24 October 2011
Bad News!! SA approves GM rice, barrage of new GM maize varieties for import
The South African GMO authorities have approved Bayer CropScience’s GM rice, Event LL62 for import into South Africa. LL62 has also been approved for commercial growing in the United States and for import into Canada, New Zealand and Australia. South Africa is a net importer of several varieties of rice, which it imports from around […]
14 October 2011
ACB applauds tribunal decision to prohibit Pioneer Hi Bred and Pannar seed merger
The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) applauds today’s decision of the Competition Tribunal (Tribunal) to prohibit the seed merger between multinational seed company Pioneer Hi Bred, and South Africa’s largest seed company, Pannar Seed. During December 2010, the Competition Commission prohibited the merger and the merging parties referred the Commission’s decision to the Tribunal for […]
7 September 2011
Global grain giant Bunge, to enter SA market!
The Competition Commission has on 2nd September 2011, approved, with conditions, a joint venture between the multinational grain trader Bunge, and South African grain storage and trading company, Senwes. In terms of the joint venture, a separate legal entity, Bunge Senwes Proprietary Ltd, has been formed, with each party controlling 50%. According to Mariam Mayet […]
21 August 2011
Activists win right to intervene in Pioneer/Panaar seed merger
FIRST STEPS TOWARDS ADDRESSING IMBALANCES IN FOOD SYSTEM IN SOUTH AFRICA The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) welcomes the decision made by the Competition Tribunal on 19 August 2011, to allow the ACB to intervene in the merger proceedings involving multinational seed giant, Pioneer Hi Bred’s bid to take over South Africa’s largest seed company, […]
16 May 2011
Activists approach Competition Commission to Investigate Monsanto’s dominance in South Africa
Several groups in South Africa, including the African Centre for Biosafety (ACB), the Surplus People Project (SPP), Trust for Community Outreach (TCOE), the Food Sovereignty Campaign and Biowatch South Africa submitted a detailed report to the Competition Commission in support of their requests that the Commission investigate Monsanto’s extraordinary market power in South Africa. The […]
7 April 2011
Cautious welcome for mandatory labelling of GM food in South Africa
PRESS RELEASE FROM AFRICAN CENTRE FOR BIOSAFETY AND SAFEAGE 5 APRIL 2011, Johannesburg, and Cape Town, South Africa. The African Centre for Biosafety and SAFEAGE cautiously welcome the mandatory labelilng regime established by the regulations made in terms of the Consumer Protection Act for GM food. According to Mariam Mayet of the ACB, “the mandatory […]
24 March 2011
GM crops in South Africa – who benefits?
Anybody who has heard of genetically modified (GM) crops has also heard that we in Africa must accept them or face starvation. The primary message is that GM crops have been developed for the poor and hungry. This is a highly emotional argument put forward by the companies that develop GM technology. However, when we […]
24 March 2011
GMO food labelling – consumers’ right to know
It is a consumer’s right to know what is in their food and to make informed choices about what they eat. Yet, South Africans have been eating genetically modified (GM) food for more than a decade without their knowledge or consent. The producers of GM foods say that these foods are perfectly safe, but many […]
24 March 2011
GM cotton in SA
The biotechnology industry has really tried to win small-scale farmers over to genetically modified (GM) cotton, especially in Africa and Asia. Getting cotton approved in a country is a good way for the industry to pave the way for the entry of GM food crops. It is estimated that farmers around the globe planted about […]