Latest Resources

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 […]

Out of Africa: Mysteries of access and benefit sharing

In late 2005 the Edmunds Institute and the African Centre for Biosafety contacted famed bio-pirate hunter Jay McGowan to investigate incidences of access and benefit sharing in Africa. Despite many constraints on the research, McGowan found a plethora of incidents where transnational corporations had utilised African biodiversity without concluding benefit sharing agreements with the local […]

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 […]

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.

Monsanto

Monsanto and Genetic Modification in South Africa: Facts For South African Consumers – Feb 2006 African Centre for Biosafety. Read more here. Factsheet: Who Benefits From GM Crops? Monsanto and the Corporate driven Genetically Modified Crop Revolution – Jan 2006, Friends of the Earth International: read more. A Profile Of Monsanto In South Africa – […]

A glimpse through the crack in the door: South Africa’s permitting system for GMOs

During 2004, the African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) spent a considerable amount of time monitoring the South African permitting system for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In the course of its work, it lodged comprehensive objections to numerous applications for the import, marketing and field- testing of GMOs. Read here.

Monsanto Nk603 X Mon863x Mon810

Objection To The Application By Monsanto For Commodity Clearance Of Its GM Maize Varieties Nk603 X Mon863x Mon810 to The National Department Of Agriculture, South Africa prepared by the African Centre For Biosafety. Read here. SUPPORTED BY: Bishop Geoff, Southern African Faith Communities’ Environmental Institute; South African Freeze Alliance on Genetic Engineering; Earthlife Africa Ethekwini […]